Liberation
by Sorceress Fantasia
Summary: Someone from Duo's past is back, and she brings with her some news that causes Duo to reconsider his relationships with his friends.
1. Prologue

Title: Liberation Prologue 

Author: Sorceress Fantasia 

Pairings: H+2, 3x4, and eventual 1+2 

Warnings: AU, OC, some OOC-ness 

Archives: Lev's Lair 

Fanfiction.net 

MediaMiner

Disclaimers: That day I went to the store counter in wherever Santa shops and asked for the GW boys. But when the clerk came back after searching their stocks, she told me that the GW boys had already been bought up. So, sadly, I do not own any of the GW boys or the anime. I do, however, own Vespera. 

"Why the surprised face? Don't wanna see me?" 

The boy's eyes widened in shock and his jaws went slack. Suddenly, he felt that things were a little too much to bear that he took a few involuntary steps backwards. Feeling a wooden frame with the back of his knees, he slumped down onto his bed. Slapping a hand over his forehead, he knew for sure then that he was not dreaming. Or daydreaming, for that matter. Finally, he just sighed. 

The girl, seemingly unaware of the impact she had made, cocked her head at the strange response. 

In the dark room, the only source of light came from the silver celestial wheel, seeping in through the open window. The girl sat on the only desk in the room, with her back to the window from which she had entered. Moonlight shone down on her slender form, forming a halo around her silhouette in all its holiness. Her moon-kissed locks were a light shade of chestnut with streaks of gold, falling in waves all around her like a shroud. And her endless pools of violets sparkled in the darkness, hinting at an intelligence surpassing her age. 

After a long drawn out moment, the boy regained a little of his composure enough to ask, "You… you… Why?" Words clamoured at his throat, unwilling to get out. He knew that she was always there, but never had her presence been so keenly felt. 

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" the girl teased, leaning forward as though she was taunting him. A gust of cold wind blew into the room from the opened window, and the curtains to fluttered lightly in the air. Through amused eyes, she continued to gaze intently at him. As she waited for some response, she twisted a soft curl of her chestnut hair around a finger absently. 

Duo Maxwell had never believed that he could be this shocked. For the first time in his entire being, he found himself lost in the labyrinth of vocabulary. 

She had descended. 


	2. Part I

Title: Liberation Part 1 

Author: Sorceress Fantasia 

Pairings: H+2, 3x4, and eventual 1+2 

Warnings: AU, OC, some OOC-ness 

Archives: Lev's Lair 

Fanfiction.net 

MediaMiner 

Disclaimers: That day I went to the store counter in wherever Santa shops and asked for the GW boys. But when the clerk came back after searching their stocks, she told me that the GW boys had already been bought up. So, sadly, I do not own any of the GW boys or the anime. I do, however, own Vespera. 

Duo yawned loudly, stretching his body lazily. Shaking his head to clear his mind, he sighed, feeling a wave of weariness catch up with him. But the fatigue was more of the state of his mind, rather than real physical tiredness. Still, he thanked his lucky stars that he wasn't in the middle of a mission or and probably would not have one for at least a few weeks. After a particularly tough mission, even the doctors agreed that the gundam pilots needed a break. Which was why all of them were currently staying in a 'small' countryside mansion owned by the Winners that was a couple miles away from the city, he mused. As Duo strolled along a corridor, he heard a familiar voice greet him. 

"Good morning, Duo!" 

Although he had felt someone else's presence in the room earlier, his shoulders still stiffened noticeably with a slight jerk. Taking care, he plastered his infamous gamine grin onto his face, and turned around. "Morning, Quatre! And morning too, Trowa." 

Quatre frowned. Duo was seldom skittish, yet his body gestures clearly indicated that he was. He even looked a little haggard, something that had never happened in all the time he knew him. Even cool Trowa found it disturbing, and raised an eyebrow, giving the blonde pilot a knowing nudge. 

"What's the matter, Duo? Is anything wrong? You don't look like yourself today," Quatre asked gently. 

_"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" _The words resounded in his mind, each echo clearer than the last. Duo took a sharp intake of breath, and for a fleeting moment, he thought he was still staring into her violet eyes. But then he blinked hard, and he found himself looking into his friend's aquamarine eyes instead. 

"Duo?" 

Duo forced a smile onto his face. "Sorry… just thinking of something." 

"Is there anything wrong, Duo? You can tell us, you know," Quatre said concernedly, placing a reassuring arm on his shoulder. 

But Duo just smirked winsomely. "Nah, just thinking of some… personal stuff. Don't mind me. And well, I just remembered that I've got something to fix in my room. Sorry, but I gotta go! Have fun, guys," he winked playfully, then slipped away. 

Hastily, Duo closed the door to his room and flopped down onto his bed. 'That was a close one,' he mused, sighing thankfully in his mind. He couldn't afford to let anyone know his problems. Not yet, if ever. As if on cue, his mind raced back to the strange encounter, the only reason that was causing him to be on edge. 

***** 

*Flashback* 

As Duo sat on his bed, still very much dumbfounded, the girl continued to gaze at him as though she was trying to make out what was going on. She didn't understand why he seemed almost… afraid to see her. Oh, she had an idea why, but was it that bad? 

"Duo?" 

As if on cue, her words seemed to break through that fragile trance Duo had trapped himself in. Finally, he asked, "Vespera… why are you here?" 

She rolled her eyes, and with a huff, blew at her jagged bangs. Crossing her arms, she answered, "Are you honestly asking me that? I thought it's pretty obvious. Besides, you know why." 

Her words were spoken nonchalantly, yet they struck into Duo's heart, reminding him with vengeance the reason Vespera was here. He sighed deeply again, "Yeah… I do know. I just… didn't want to think about it." 

"I know what you mean. But that doesn't mean that we should run away from the truth. Duo," she paused, sliding down from the small table she was sitting on in one fluid motion. Leaning against it this time, she continued, "we have to meet the deadline. And it's coming soon!" 

"I know…"  


"You know? Really? Then would you care to explain to me why you haven't done a damn thing about it? It's been… what? Fifteen years?" 

Duo flinched inwardly as he was reminded of his failure. "I know that, you don't have to remind me. But… I just can't seem to find that person. The one I want for life… my beloved… my soul mate… whatever you want to call him, I just can't find him!" 

"I know it's hard, but… Duo, it's been such a long time! And now the deadline's rolling towards us like some boulder crashing down a mountain. If we don't fix the problem soon enough, the damn rock's gonna," she punched her fist into her other hand, "flatten us like we're pizza." 

Noticing the look of sheer disbelief on Duo's face, she quickly added, "Okay, okay. I was just kidding. But still, the consequences are not good. Not in any way. And you know it!" 

He nodded, albeit unwillingly. "How… how long more?" 

"One more month. And that's stretching the time limit!" 

"One more month…" Duo parroted. 

"We can't lose this time, Duo. Not if you want to be happy for the rest of our lives…" 

Noting her worried stance, he felt resolution burning inside him again. Duo's lips tightened, and his eyes flashed with a determination that wasn't there before. 

"We won't. I promise." 

*End of flashback* 

***** 

Duo's face hardened at the thought, and bit his bottom lip. He was going to win, no matter what. But victory wasn't going to come if he just stayed in his room all day and vegetate. Resolutely, he shook his head almost violently to shake off the spell of dizziness. It hurt even to *think* about it. But he understood now. He would *never* yield, no matter what. No one would manipulate his life! 

A sound broke his silent reverie, and he noticed his stomach had been staging a protest in the last few minutes while his mind went elsewhere. Sighing once more, he pushed himself off the soft comforts and headed for the dining area. Fixing that little 'protest' was secondary. Contrary to popular belief, he had better things to do than to eat all day long. If he wanted to keep his problems to himself, he would have to act normal. And Duo Maxwell had a reputation to maintain. 

It wasn't long before he reached there, since the place was small. According to Winner standards, that is. As he entered the dining area, he noticed that his friends were already at the table and busily tucking into some toast spread out on the table. He sauntered in, and casually waved. "Ohayo! Ooh, breakfast smells wonderful!" 

Quatre flashed a warm smile at him, and answered, "It's just toast, Duo. But well," he winked mischievously and added, "Trowa made this, so I shouldn't be too surprised." 

Duo stuck out his tongue, and slid into his seat beside Heero. 

"Hmph! You're late for breakfast again, Maxwell. That's the third time this week, and imagine. This is only Wednesday," Wufei remarked almost impassively, betrayed only by that tiny tug at his lips. He sipped into his warm black coffee. 

"Well, it's not my fault someone keeps me up all night with all that groaning and moaning," Duo replied causally, grinning widely. 

Quatre and Trowa had the decency to blush, and the latter barely held back the urge to toss a toast his way. Wufei just spurted his coffee, his tongue slightly burnt. It was fortunate that he didn't spill the hot beverage on anyone. 

"Duo!" all three admonished in unison, faces redder than a ripe tomato. 

The braided boy just batted his eyes and gave a charming smile. Wufei, Trowa and Quatre could almost see the halo around his head and the feathered wings spread out behind him. Defeated, they stepped down, knowing better than to try to outtalk Duo when he was full out in 'angelic' mode. 

Acknowledging his victory, Duo just turned back to doing something more productive. Namely, eating breakfast. After a few quiet moments, he finally couldn't suppress his curiosity and turned to look at his silent friend. Well, Heero was more silent than ever this morning, not that he ever joined in their almost ritual morning banter, but he had not even made a noise since Duo had came to the dining table. Duo barely resisted the urge to grab that cup of coffee from Heero's table napkin and down it just to get some sort of response, knowing if he did indeed get any, it was probably not good for his health. 

Just as he was busy contemplating what to talk to Heero about apart from missions, Wufei suddenly put down the mug of ice water that he was nursing his burnt tongue with. 

"I nearly forgot about this. Maxwell, Hirde just called. And she wants you to return her call." 

"Hirde? Heh, it's been a pretty long time since we've last kept in touch. Wonder what's she calling me for," Duo muttered thoughtfully. 

Unbeknownst to the pilots, Heero Yuy raised an eyebrow. 

***** 

"Duo!" 

Duo smiled at the excited squeal of his friend. He had missed her too. 

"Right, it's me. You were expecting somebody else?" 

"Of course not, silly. I was just so happy to finally hear from you. It's been what… at least three months since I last saw you on a vid-phone? You're positively evil, Duo, to not let me at least know you're safe all this while." 

Duo snorted. "Well, Heero bans me from the phone usually. Says that it comprises mission because it could somehow drop OZ a clue that we're around. Whatever. If it wasn't that we're at Quatre's mansion and on vacation, I doubt he would let me go near within 5-meter radius of the phone. Anyway, what did you call me for?" 

"I was just thinking…. Are you free today?" 

He went over his schedule mentally. "I guess so. Why?" 

"Well, there's just this funfair around… and I've heard people say that the rides there are really fun, the place's kinda pretty… So I was thinking of going, but then I thought about asking you along! I mean, the more the merrier, right? Besides, it'd be really boring if I went alone." Her tone was somewhat casual, but Duo could detect a hint of nervousness. It was well shadowed by her enthusiasm, but it was there. 

He furrowed his brows in concentration. 'I need to relax for a while, and go somewhere Ves can't find me. It's bad enough that I have a deadline to meet, but to see her again is exhausting.' Straightening his thoughts, he replied, "Yeah, sure. Let's go together." 

After choosing a rendezvous point with Hirde, he ran back to his room grab a few things. He was ready in under a minute, and he quickly headed out. 

***** 

Spotting Hirde in the corner of his eyes, he waded through the large crowd towards the petite girl. Silently, he grumbled, 'Is it just me, or is this place packed like a can of sardine?' With more than a little effort, he gingerly elbowed his way over. Waving his hands wildly, he shouted, "Hirde! Over here!" 

She blinked, head turning around to look for the person calling for her. When she saw him, a wide grin broke onto her face and she waved back with an excited reply. Apologizing profusely to those around her, she squeezed her way through the crowd. Finally, after some more pushing and shoving, Duo gathered his friend into a gentle embrace. 

"How have you been?" they asked simultaneously. 

They looked at each other for a surprised moment, then broke into peals of laughter. 

"You ready?" Duo asked with a lopsided grin. Receiving a nod, he took Hirde's hand and led her into the funfair. 

***** 

Duo grabbed another ball from the flustered stall keeper, and had to grin at his apprehensive expression. Apparently, the stall didn't have that much prizes left. And him winning a good part of them didn't make the poor fellow feel any better. 

With trained accuracy, he hurled the ball. It crashed into the bottom row of the stacked tin cans, effectively bringing the whole lot down. He grinned even wider. 

"Wow! You're really good at this, Duo. You've won ten times consecutively already!" Hirde clapped her hands like a child getting a big Christmas present, face revealing sheer admiration. "You know, as accurate as I am in target practice, I can *never* win at these games!" 

The braided pilot shrugged with mock arrogance, and threw her another smirk. "Can I help it if I'm a sharpshooter? I do this for a living, you know?" 

She scrunched her face in a pout, sticking out her tongue. "Cocky." 

"Well hon, if you have it, flaunt it," Duo said solemnly, like he was giving advice to a patient. And Hirde just laughed again. 

"Well, with the defeat of the malevolent tin cans, the hero has saved the day again! C'mon, my dear partner, choose one of those damsels in distress!" he japed, pointing to the row of soft toys sitting on the shelf behind the stall. 

Hirde stifled a laugh, and did a little curtsey. "Why, I'd love to. But you see… you've simply rescued too many and well…" Glancing down at her arms full of cuddly toys, she flashed another smile. "Nope, I haven't got place for another." 

Duo mock frowned helplessly, lips curling at the sides. "In that case then, I suppose I'll have to take it." He looked at the remaining toys left behind, and his eyes sparkled when he laid eyes on an extremely cute one which Hirde had missed earlier. It was a pair sewn together at their hands and legs, positioned in such a way that they were hugging each other while sitting down. One had white angel wings and a little halo on top of its head, while the other had a pair of bat wings and two little horns on its head. Looking at it, Duo grinned. 'I can definitely picture Wing and Deathscythe doing this.' 

With more than a few soft toys that would take up Hirde's bed, they decided to call it a day, much to the relief of the owners of the games stalls. After purchasing some hotdogs and soda, they took a well-deserved rest on a wooden bench on the quieter side of the funfair. It was quiet, and the two were caught in their own thoughts as they ate. 

After some time, the braided pilot caught sight of the rapidly darkening sky. "Hey Hirde. It's getting late. I think we should be going," he said, stuffing the last bit of hotdog into his mouth. Absently, he tossed the wrapper to his side, and it landed precisely in the rubbish can. 

"Yeah, I guess so," Hirde replied with a light smile, although Duo couldn't help but notice a small trace of reluctance in her. 

"I'll walk you back," he suggested, and took a few of those easily earned toys from her with a grin. 

She nodded almost anxiously. "Thanks." 

On the way back, they talked about everything that they could think off. The weather, the newest movie, the best music album recently… There were few moments of silence between them, but Duo felt awkward. More so than if they were completely silent, he was sure. 

For reasons unknown, Hirde seemed nervous. Her brows were knitted, and her lips almost a taut line. The most horrible thing was what she was doing to the poor yellow bunny and pink cat in her hands. Duo was actually pretty sure that that was an unconscious action. Namely, squeezing the two stuffed animals to her chest in a death grip and suffocating them. If they were alive, that is. 

Since Hirde didn't stay too far away from the funfair, it wasn't before long that they reached her house. With a brief 'goodbye', Duo turned to leave. 

"Duo! Wait!" 

He spun around, confused. "What? What's wrong?" 

Biting her lips, she quickly deposited the soft toys at her doorstep. Turning back to face Duo, she took in a deep breath, face tinged with red. "Well, Duo… I…" 

He frowned. It wasn't like his friend to be this wishy-washy. "Yes? Go on," he prodded gently, with a little hand gesture. 

Hirde sighed deeply, and echoes of 'I can do it' ran rampant in her mind. Clenching her fists tightly, she lifted her head to see Duo, eye to eye. With the illuminated brightness shining upon him, Hirde thought she was seeing the most beautiful creature to ever grace the world. Gathering up all her courage as though she was going to a difficult battle, she uttered, "Duo, I…" 


	3. Part II

Title: Liberation Part 2 

Author: Sorceress Fantasia 

Pairings: H+2, 3x4, and eventual 1+2 

Warnings: AU, OC, some OOC-ness 

Archives: Lev's Lair 

Fanfiction.net 

MediaMiner 

Disclaimers: That day I went to the store counter in wherever Santa shops and asked for the GW boys. But when the clerk came back after searching their stocks, she told me that the GW boys had already been bought up. So, sadly, I do not own any of the GW boys or the anime. I do, however, own Vespera. 

"I'm home!" Duo marched in the house and slammed the door behind him. It creaked loudly in protest, and looked as if it were ready to fall apart, judging from the way it was already hanging on its hinges desperately. Duo cringed and made a face. 'Mental note to self. Never slam this particular door again or I'll have to spend the better part of a day fixing it.' 

"Hi, Duo," Quatre returned the greeting, turning to look at the braided boy from the sofa. "So, how's your day? Did you have fun with Hirde?" 

Trowa sat silently beside the blonde boy, his one emerald eye carefully scrutinizing Duo. In acknowledgement to Duo, he gave a nod. 

Winking playfully, Duo grinned, "But of course! Duo Maxwell always has fun!" 

"I can just imagine you terrorizing the stallholders there. You're probably blacklisted by now," a new voice quipped dryly. Wufei ambled into the living room with a bottle of water, and tossed it to Duo, who caught it effortlessly. 

"Thanks, Wu-chan!" He ignored the vehement protest from the Chinese pilot, and instead, opened the bottle and gobbled its contents. Finishing the water in a few gulps, he sighed comfortably, and threw the now empty bottle back to Wufei. "Terrorize them? Who me?" He batted his puppy eyes. 

Wufei looked unconvinced. Quatre just chuckled. 

Duo stretched his arms. "Well, it's been a long day. If you'd excuse me…" Picking up his toy, he retreated to his room. 

As he walked along the corridor, a door at his side suddenly creaked open. Heero walked out from the dark room, lit up only by the luminous light from his laptop. 

"Oei Heero, dating your laptop again?" the American boy teased cheekily. "Ya gotta get a new hobby!" 

Heero snorted and tried to brush pass the braided baka. "My laptop does not have mood swings." 

Duo blinked. Heero Yuy? Joking? But then he smiled. "Maybe, but it doesn't talk either. Humans are social animals. We need interaction!" 

"You talk enough for the both of us." 

Duo chuckled. "That's because you don't. Anyway…" He shrugged. "I'm going to bed now." With that, he walked pass the Japanese pilot and into the warmth of his room. 

Heero stole a glance at Duo's closed door, wondering what was bothering the baka. He acted strangely, and he didn't blabber on like he usually does. Something was definitely out of place. 

***** 

Exhaustedly, Duo tossed his newly acquired toy onto the ground and trudged over to the comforts of his bed, plopping headfirst into the pillow. Kicking his shoes off, he groaned at the memory of his conversation with Hirde earlier on. 

_'I love you, Duo.' _

'She loves me? She actually loves me? I can't believe it.' He flipped over and laid his head on his hands. Staring into the grey ceiling, he wondered why and how did it happen. He had no answer, and the impeccable ceiling seemed to be mocking him. Sighing again for what seemed to be the umpteenth time in an hour, he screamed mentally. 

"Surprised at the way things are now?" 

Duo sat up tiredly, glaring at the figure sitting on the bedpost at the end of the bed. "I wish you wouldn't just barge into my room like this, Ves." 

"And why not?" 

"Ever heard of privacy?" 

She rolled her eyes. "Do you know how ironic this is coming from you, the guy who read my diary?" 

"Yeah well… I…" A flush was creeping up Duo's cheeks. "Anyway, what makes you come here?" he laughed sheepishly. 

Vespera ignored the sudden change of topic, much to his relief. She shrugged, descending to sit on the wooden frame. "Are you seriously asking me that? I thought it's pretty obvious." 

"No, it's not. I hate the way you girls think. Guys are not meant to understand your inner logic." 

"Oh yeah? Well, I guess some guys are just not clever enough to," she countered, crossing her legs. Then, with a look that spelt of disbelief, she asked, "Are you really that oblivious to not know of Hirde's feelings for you?" 

Duo raised an eyebrow. "Hey! You followed me, didn't you?" 

Vespera looked ready to moan in agony, and she did. "Oh please! Don't think so little of me, would you? I was just passing by, looking for you! Besides, I've been observing you for the past decade. What makes you think I don't know her feelings? I've seen the way she acts around you and the way her eyes would light up when you appear. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see it." 

"Oh." He blinked, as though suddenly remembering. Then he nodded. "I… I never thought that she would like me more than just a friend. It just… never crossed my mind," Duo wavered, face caught in a frown, "I don't get it. Just what does she see in me? I've killed, destroyed people's lives, stole, robbed… Generally speaking, I've done nearly all the things people condemn and maybe even more." 

"Sure, you've done all that. But you've saved more than you've killed, given more than you've stolen." She noted casually. "Furthermore, who's to judge you? What comparison is there? With the Bible? You don't believe in it, so what condemnation is there?" 

"You're right. But Hirde does, remember? Nearly, if not all, humans believe in it. Even the gundam pilots. They may not say it, may not believe in the same God, but their God is one entity." 

"Hey, Hirde was a pilot herself. She understands what it means to fight, to kill and to survive. Perhaps that's why you're able to get along with her. It's not like that with Relena, is it? And well, that's not the point. The point is, Hirde likes you. And more importantly, what are you going to do about it?" 

"Honestly, if I had the slightest bit of idea about that one, I wouldn't be here bemoaning my life, now would I?" He fixed her with a stare that seemed to suggest that his predicament was as obvious as it could get. 

"I can see that," she replied wryly. "But… now what? You have to do something." 

"I don't wanna hurt her. I think I'll… try to work out something with her." 

The chestnut-haired girl frowned. "Think through it carefully. Don't make brash decisions just because of the deadline. Or else, it's going to be painful for the both of you." 

"I know." 

Silence reigned. Vespera looked on somewhat helplessly. She fathomed what was bothering him so much, yet had no way to make his choice any easier. Sighing, she decided it was high time she changed the subject. Looking around the room that faintly resembled a hurricane's path, her eyes lit up when they fell on a plushy. 

"Hey! That's so cute!" She extended her hands towards the soft toy, and snapped her fingers. The toy hovered in midair, and gradually towards her like a baby learning how to walk. Or rather in this case, how to float. When it was within her reach, she grabbed it and pulled it into her arms. Giggling, she poked at their wings and bodies. 

"I finally see you loosening up," Duo grinned. "You've been acting overly mature that I was worried for a moment that you had forgotten how to be a teenager." 

"Oh please." She made a face at the flippant comment, and added, "Firstly, I do *not* act mature. Secondly, I am enjoying teenage-hood in *my* own way." 

"Oh yeah? I'm willing to bet that anyone out there will think that I'm younger than you, based on the way we act." 

"Give me a break…" She rolled her eyes, which suddenly took on a playful sparkle. And then she said, "…Eden," letting the word roll off her tongue like a joke. 

"For goodness sake… Delete that name in your phone book or whatever that is, and change it to Duo Maxwell." 

"Hate that name?" 

"Obviously!" he snorted understatedly. "Give a reason why I should like that name, and I'll give you a swing of my scythe. I mean… Jeez! Can you imagine *me* being called Eden? It's so… so…" He scratched the back of his head, hands going in circles in a desperate gesture. 

"Paradoxical?" 

"Yes! It sounds so corny too..." he sulked, but his menace was weakened by his jaw-splitting yawn. 

Vespera looked on disinterestedly. She had already lost count of the number of times he protested to his name. Shrugging, she turned her attention back to the toy in her arms. "This toy… it's so cute. They look as though they're in love. But an angel and demon, falling in love? Now that's what I call story worthy! But then again, I guess love is blind. Right?" 

She looked up, and pouted when she saw Duo snoring away softly. Even after all the years, some things would never change. Vespera sighed, shaking her head. With a wave of her hand, Duo's blanket, which was at the foot of his bed, unfolded and flew up, gently settling on the now sleeping boy. His cap flew off and landed on the nightstand. 

Lazily, Duo turned over to the other side and snuggled against his pillow. The moonlight seeping into the room highlighted his beautiful and distinctive features. His long, soft braid snaked along the contours of his body. Soundlessly, she landed on the ground and walked over to Duo, sitting at the side of the bed. 'Feels like only yesterday. Time truly flies,' she mused, carefully brushing his jagged bangs out of his eyes. 'It's times like this when I regret our decision back then. You've suffered so much. Too much, in fact. But then again, I supposed we would have made the same decision if we were given that chance a hundred times over. We're both too strong-spirited to be tied down like that.' 

Gently, she grabbed hold of the end of Duo's braid and pulled the elastic band that held the rope of hair together off. Skillfully, she undid the braid as though she had done so a hundred thousand times before. It was just one of those things she always helped him do when they had lived together, all those years ago. Thinking back on how it was, Vespera felt a stinging sensation in her eyes. Softly, she allowed a hug and she held him in her arms, contented. She had missed him terribly. 

Seconds passed like hours, and Vespera found herself lost in a warmth and satisfaction she had long since forgotten. It was intoxicating as she held onto the bare whiff of calla lilies [1] she had always associated with Duo. She could almost pretend that he had never left. All of a sudden, she heard a faint ringing of footsteps outside. Someone was heading this way. Softly, but not enough. She narrowed her eyes, and quickly stepped back to fade into the shadows. 

Soon, the normally squeaky wooden door opened, the creaking scarcely audible. A dark silhouette slipped in, the door closely just as quietly behind. Although quiet, the cobalt blue eyes shining in the darkness were a dead giveaway. 

'Heero Yuy? What's he doing here?' Vespera frowned. Remembering the coldness he had displayed towards Duo and his icy demeanor, she quickly made a mental note to tick him off her potential suitor list. 

Oblivious to her presence, Heero crossed the room gingerly, avoiding the piles of various objects strewn haphazardly on the ground. He would have been quite successful, if he had noticed the tee shirt. Thanks to the slippery floor tiles, he nearly skidded across when his foot got caught in the dark-coloured clothing. However, he regained his balance with a firm grip on the strategically placed chair nearby. Sighing in relieve, he shot a glance at the sleeping boy. 

Duo groaned, and for a moment, Heero thought he had been discovered. Luckily, he merely yawned, and turned over to lie on his back. 

After he was certain that Duo wasn't about to wake up any time soon, the Japanese boy continued his 'trek', and finally got to Duo's bedside. He gazed down at his friend, eyes spelling a hint of warmth and not of indifference. Heero looked on for a long moment, eyebrows creased. Under the moonlight, he seemed years younger. Hesitatingly, Heero reached out. But as soon as the tips of his fingers touched Duo's face, he pulled back as though he had been stung. Duo continued to sleep on, and Heero calmed down. He was a moth, drawn to the fire that was Duo. Slowly, uncertainly, he reached out once more. This time, his fingers run down the smooth expanse of the American boy's face. It could have been his imagination, but he thought he heard Duo purr. Duo's sensual voice spurred him on, and he moved to cup his cheek. He was rather surprised though, when Duo leaned into the warmth of his own accord. However, that astonishment did nothing to stop him from enjoying the softness. The faintest trace of a smile tugged at his lips, and Heero stroked the cheek with his thumb. 

Vespera looked on, eyeing Heero like he was an endangered species. This was Heero Yuy? The guy she had crossed out of her potential suitor list just a while ago? This guy? Scratch that mental note. 

Heero caressed Duo's face, unaware of the jumble going through the girl's mind with this simple action. But he knew the jumble going through in his own mind. Ever since meeting Duo all those months ago, he found new emotions welling out of a place whose existence he had always denied. His heart. 

Duo was… different. Others would have whimpered while in peril, would have crumpled at the demise of their loved ones, would have given up hope in the face of death, would have prayed to all gods, any god, just for salvation of their own souls… But he didn't. He laughed in the face of danger, and found himself a way to safety. He cried in the wake of his beloved' deaths, and grew stronger. He danced around with death, yet always stayed alive to see the world in a different light. He abandoned all faith in his god, and believed only in himself and death. 

Yet he wasn't perfect. He got depressed when things got too rough, got lonely when everyone were too busy to care, cried when nightmares of his memories haunted him, shivered when the winter winds blew across the land, fell prey to common diseases like flu... 

He was human. 

Duo was just… Duo. 

And there was no other like him. 

Heero grabbed a fistful of the long chestnut locks and held them to his face. He closed his eyes when the fragrance of lavender assaulted his nostrils, and sighed. 

Vespera's jaws fell open. Oh, that mental note was *so* far away. 

The Japanese pilot smiled, much opposed to the gaping girl, as his line of vision settled on Duo again. It was intoxicating, like ambrosia. He frowned, stopping that train of thought. Duo wasn't ambrosia. He was opium. So addictive. Heero couldn't decide when did it begin, but it was a fact that he liked observing his braided companion. Whether when said boy was singing off tone in the hangar while fixing Deathscythe, or watching television while chomping on Mars chocolate bars, or when he bit the end of his pencil as he did his homework, eyebrows creased together and lips seemingly pouting… It was amazing how Duo made everything he did seem so… attractive when it looked normal for everybody else. 

At first, he had been opposed to the idea of watching Duo. Or to be exact, the soldier in him. The soldier had reminded him time and time again that it wasn't a good idea to form emotional ties in the middle of a war. It was dangerous; Duo could be used against him! However, the soldier was exceedingly easy to silent with images of Duo. Even *he* had to admit it. Duo looked fabulous. 

And it was the soldier that led the little excursion tonight, to Duo's bedroom. Although Heero had watched the American boy for ages now, it was the first time he had actually snuck into his bedside to catch a glimpse of his sleeping form. 

Nothing would stop him now. 

Hand still cupping Duo's cheek, he leaned forward. Carefully, slowly, he leaned closer and closer. He could hear the adrenaline rushing through in his ears, the throbbing of his heart… could feel the warmth radiating from the core of his soul… and the warmth of Duo's body. For a moment, all time stopped and their lips nearly met. 

If Vespera's eyes were wide before, they were definitely round. Oh yeah, that mental note was definitely chucked into the a space shuttle headed out of the solar system by now. 

Duo groaned. 

Heero's eyes flew open, and he sat up. Drawing a sharp breath, he looked away. Anywhere but Duo's face. All of a sudden, his confidence seemed to have left him and he quickly stood up. Duo moaned at the loss of warmth. 

The Japanese boy sighed. It had taken him ages to pluck up the courage to even enter the room. Now, he would need a longer time before he would finally dare to see Duo like this again. Shaking his head as though in disappointment, he left. 

As soon as the door click shut, Vespera stepped out of the shadows where she had previously hidden. Her steps were a little shaky, and she quickly latched onto the wooden bed frame. The first thing out of her mouth was, "Oh my god." She stole a look at Duo, and vaguely wondered if he knew Heero had such a soft spot for him. She just laughed nervously, knowing how dense he could be when it came to his love life. 

Shaking her head, she decided that it was time to leave. She had already seen too much tonight. And she had someone to visit. 

As she turned to leave, she suddenly remembered something. Standing beside Duo's prone form, she held out her hand. A speck of light appeared above her hand, and it glided to outline a small pouch, much like those used by merchants back in the olden times to hold their gold coins. It materialized and landed softly on her palm. The string tying the pouch up loosened and fell away into nothingness, and Vespera dug out a handful of contents. The golden dust glittered like the stars adorning the night skies. Holding the palm to her lips, she blew on the dust gently. It was like a faint gust of wind, and the shimmering wind blew onto Duo. The stardust rained down, and spread evenly. They shone for a moment more, then faded into nothing. 

With a wave of her hand, the pouch disappeared. 

'Sweet dreams, Duo,' she smiled, and walked towards the window, where she had entered earlier on. Her figure faded with every step she took, until she disappeared completely, and the window creaked shut. 

[1]: If I'm not wrong, calla lilies represent death. 


	4. Part III

Title: Liberation Part 3 

Author: Sorceress Fantasia 

Pairings: H+2, 3x4, and eventual 1+2 

Warnings: AU, OC, some OOC-ness 

Archives: Lev's Lair 

Fanfiction.net 

MediaMiner 

Disclaimers: That day I went to the store counter in wherever Santa shops and asked for the GW boys. But when the clerk came back after searching their stocks, she told me that the GW boys had already been bought up. So, sadly, I do not own any of the GW boys or the anime. I do, however, own Vespera. 

_Green. An endless waltz of meadow. Cool zephyr blew across the vast expanse, and the long blades of grass danced in the wind. _

_A young boy ran across the field, unfazed by the bright sunshine or the continuous gust of wind. He couldn't have been any older than ten, and he had a childish air around him. Stopping, he let out an excited smile, and breathed in the fresh air. The boy sighed comfortably. He closed his eyes, and held out his arms. Leaning back, he fell into a flurry of grass. _

_"Ahh! Even the sun feels good!" he exclaimed, stretching his body. Finally comfy, he put his hands behind his head. "The sky looks great today. How can anyone not like this…?" After being cooped up for days, he reveled in the relaxing place. Yawning, he decided to catch a few Zs. He didn't know how long he slept, but he woke up suddenly when he felt the place darkening. _

_He opened his eyes, and found someone towering over him. Surprised, he sat up quickly and whizzed around. "Ves?" _

_The girl giggled. "I knew I'd find you snoozing down here. Stop sleeping, Eden! You're such a lazy bum!" _

_Eden swept his chestnut braid behind him. "C'mon! This is the first in days I've seen the sun like this!" _

_"And you would sleep it away?" She mimicked the boy, and swept her chestnut hair behind her as well. _

_"Well no. I was just about to wake up," Eden protested indignantly, ignoring Vespera when she gave him a knowing smirk. He turned away. "This place is beautiful. How can anyone not like this?" he repeated his earlier question wistfully. _

_She sat down beside him. "A person with a dark soul would most probably dread nature's beauty, I guess. They aren't able to appreciate beautiful things. It's just not in their systems." _

_"What about us? We have dark souls." _

_"Our souls… are just… tainted. We don't have dark souls. We appreciate beauty, don't we?" _

_Eden looked at her critically. "Well, you're beautiful. I'm beautiful. Of course we appreciate beauty," he commented offhandedly. _

_"Someday that ego of yours is going to be more than enough to feed the entire African continent!" she said teasingly. _

_He grinned. But it was the truth, to him at least. Both of them had long, flowing chestnut hair that shone like silk, much to the envy of their female friends. Perk noses, cherry lips, smooth complexion… but the killer was their violet pools. Lively and bright, their eyes aroused admiration from various people. After all, few had the correct genes to produce the purple irises. _

_Their excellent fashion sense was an added plus. Black looked fabulous on them. _

_He smiled at the thought. However, another thought also came unbidden to his mind. _

_"Hey, Ves." _

_"What?" _

_"Will we ever get out of here?" _

_"Out?" she frowned. "To where?" _

_"Anywhere. I wanna go out and see the world. I'll go on a real adventure, trekking beyond the ends of the world and sailing to the edge of the ocean! I don't know how, but I will. I'll see new faces, new places, and new things… Things we'll never see here…" He gazed at the blue sky longingly. _

_"We'll go together. Get out of here…" She glanced up. "…and see the world. You and me. Together." _

_He nodded. "Maybe, we'll meet our other half on our travels! We'd be walking around in a crowd… and suddenly, we turn around, and see the person we're meant to be with!" _

_"Yes! They would come up to us, with a bouquet of flowers, and say, "Let me take you away to my place!"" _

_"And we would get married with their traditional rituals!" Eden laughed. _

_"But how would we know if they're the ones?" _

_"Well, I heard the older ones say that love is when your heart hammers a million times a second when they're with the one they like. And that they would rather get a whiff of their scent, a chance to hold their hand, a kiss from the other person than an eternity without it." _

_"Oh~!" Vespera sighed dreamily. "I wonder when would that happen?" _

_"…I don't know. But I'm sure it won't be long." He gathered the young girl in his arms. "I'll make sure of it." _

_"Aa. Duo…" _

_Eden sucked in a sharp breath, and pulled back. His eyes widened when he saw a familiar Japanese boy staring back at him in the eye. _

_"Heero!?" _

***** 

Duo bolted upright in his bed, right hand clasping his chest as he heaved heavily. Gradually, his eyes focused and he looked up. He was in his bedroom. Not a thing was of out place. 

'Was that a dream? It felt so real…' he mused. Sighing, he fell back onto the soft comforts, fully intending to go to sleep again. However, a spark of gold squelched that thought. Sitting up again, he touched the little bright spot with his fingertips. Scrutinizing it, he groaned as he recognized the stardust. 

"Not again…" he grimaced. "Ves, I hate it when you mess with my dreams with this dream inducing thingamabob!" 

Groaning louder, he dropped back into his bed. Frustration didn't even to describe what he felt! Seeing Vespera in his dreams was no big deal. He had even expected it, since their childhood days together had been in his mind after their reunion a while ago. However, whatever that psychopathic pilot was doing his in dreams, he had absolutely no idea. 

Worse still, he knew that his dream wasn't a normal one. With the dream powder that had no doubt been sprinkled all over him, the dream he just had reflected his innermost thoughts. 

What did that imply about him and Heero? They were good friends -best friends even- but nothing pass that. Although Duo had an intense feeling that that was about to change. 

With the beginnings of a headache coming, Duo gave up with a sigh. Before falling asleep, he murmured to himself, "What can happen between us? We're just friends… just… friends…" 

Slowly, he went back into blissful oblivion. 

***** 

Morning. 

Heero had never been more relieved when it arrived. He supposed that he could safely assume that last night was the longest one in his fifteen years of life. Of course, there was the matter of his near kiss with Duo. He could ignore that temporarily though, for no one but himself knew about that. As long as nobody had an idea of what had transpired last night, nobody would say anything to embarrass him, and he could wallow in his misery without interruption. The other thing that bothered him was more vexing, however. 

Shoving the blanket aside, he got out of bed with a grunt and trudged over to the bathroom. While he brushed his teeth, his mind replayed the irksome dream he had last night. 

It had started out simple enough. Duo was eating lunch with him, conversing with him the way he had always liked, when suddenly, the scene shifted. The American boy wasn't with him anymore. The music blared over the crowd, disco lights flashing everywhere. Duo was in a nightclub with that Hirde girl, their bodies grinding together in an erotic dance that would have driven any man insane. Their dance drew several whistles, egging them on. Of course Duo didn't refuse, and anything Duo would do, that Hirde wouldn't be far behind. Their dance became more and more sensual, until they gave up completely and started to, mildly put, make out in the middle of the dance floor. 

Heero saw himself then. He was in some small apartment eating dinner, all alone. Alone, while Duo was having fun surrounded by crowds of people. 

Splashing water onto his face, he felt much more refreshed. 

'Why did I have that dream? It doesn't make any sense. Duo can't be with Hirde,' he thought, even though he was unconvinced by his last statement. 

As he left his room, still deep in thoughts, a pair of violet orbs glowed in the corner. Slowly, a black clad figure materialized, and landed on the ground. Arms akimbo, she sighed, and swept her bangs in a careless swipe. "Guys… can't they ever get a clue without any help?" 

With another sigh, she disappeared, all the while muttering under her breath. "And him, of all people… Can things get any worse?" 

***** 

When Heero entered the kitchen, the table was already made. He wasn't surprised, since it was Wufei's turn to make breakfast that morning. Breakfast was a simple fare, with only a bowl of gruel the Chinese boy called porridge. The two acknowledged the other with merely a nod, and Heero slid into his seat. 

It wasn't long before Quatre and Trowa came as well. 

Duo was the last to arrive, when others were already midway through the meal. He sauntered into the kitchen with his normal bright smile. "Hey guys! Morning! What's for breakfast?" 

"Breakfast? I thought this would be your brunch." 

Duo shrugged. "Porridge again?" He winced. "Honestly Fei, is this the only thing you can cook?" 

"It's nutritious," Wufei defended himself. "And easy to make." 

"And just how nutritious is this… watery goo?" 

Their banter drew a chuckle from Quatre and Trowa. It was the same every morning, and no one felt the need to change it. Especially for the Wing pilot. This was the perfect time for his hobby. Everyone else was too engrossed by the teasing between Duo and Wufei, no one paid much attention to him. He quickly looked up from his nearly empty bowl and stared at Duo. However, his eyes immediately homed in to his lips and Heero a faint blush stole onto his face as he recalled last night. He tightened his grip on his spoon, and continued to feed himself mechanically. 

Alas, luck was not on his side, and Duo noticed his friend's strange behavior. With one last witty remark that made Wufei admit defeat, again, he whispered in Heero's ear, "Heero, you alright?" 

A voice inside the Japanese pilot cooed, 'How can I be when you're blowing in my ear?' But he composed himself enough to say, "Hn." 

"How many times do I have to remind you that 'Hn' isn't a multi-purpose phrase?" 

It had to be reflexes that made him turn to face Duo, because reflexes don't have brains and most definitely, no good memory. If it weren't reflexes, he would have remembered that Duo's face was just beside his own. If it weren't reflexes, he wouldn't have turned, and wouldn't have kissed Duo's cheek. Actually, it wasn't exactly Duo's cheek. Just an inch more to the right, they would have kissed each other right smack on the lips. 

An unsettling silence reigned, and all five pilots blushed. The three uninvolved quickly looked away, each giving lame excuses and left the kitchen. Their sniggers could be heard all the way to their respective rooms, though. 

The other two, just stared at the other. Duo was the first to regain his composure first. He was about to apologize when the telephone rang. 

Heero had never been so relieved to hear the shrill cry of the phone. As Duo rushed off, nearly stumbling over the chair in his haste and perhaps even embarrassment, Heero let out an inaudible sigh. 

However, that relief was washed away pretty quickly when he heard Duo calling Hirde's name into the receiver. 

"Ah! Hir… Hirde!" 

Heero heard the muffled voice of the no doubt perky girl, and he frowned. Not alerting his companion, he left the kitchen and headed for his own room. He switched on his laptop, and waited. He wasn't disappointed. 

Minutes later, he heard hurried footsteps thundering down the corridor, and then back. 

"I'm going out with Hirde, guys! Don't hold dinner for me!" The braided hurricane shouted, and shot off to god knows where. 

He sighed. It was going to be a long day. 

***** 

Duo took a quick once over at the various posters. And again. And again. 

"Duo, have you decided?" she asked, looking at the advertisements as well. 

"Gimme a minute more, Hirde," he replied, and his eyes fell on a particular interesting one. "Hmm? 'Loveless' starring Christina Redknox? No, no comedies." He contemplated some more. "Ok! That one!" Duo snapped his fingers, and pointed one. 

"That one?" She looked towards the direction Duo pointed. "Aliens Episode 101 [1]? Are you sure?" 

"Yup! I've heard the critics say that it's good. But I must admit, it feels weird to watch movies about aliens when you've practically flew across the entire solar system!" 

"Alright then… Let's go get the tickets!" 

***** 

Hirde cringed at the sight of a red alien – red because of all the blood over it – biting off the right limb of its poor victim. The man could only scream at the loss of his hand, and it looked like it was more for fear rather than pain. 

'The critics' opinions have never been on the same frequency as mine. So why did have to be the same this time!?' She mused, nearly turning green when the alien tore the man apart and started to eat the no longer internal organs. 'If I had an inch of an idea this movie's this disgusting, I'd have asked Duo to choose another one!' 

Curiously, she snuck a glance at the boy. He seemed totally at ease, popping popcorn after popcorn into his mouth as if he were watching an action flick instead of a horror movie. 

When she reluctantly turned her eyes back to the screen, she grimaced. The alien had surely given the word 'sadist' a new definition. Feeling rather revolted, she turned to her side and faced Duo, trying to bury her face in his shoulder. 

The braided boy frowned. "Hey, Hirde. You okay?" 

"Yeah… just a little… disgusted…" 

He stroked her back in comforting pats. 'Never though that she'd be afraid of a horror flick. Guess she's still a girl after all.' Smiling down at her, Duo suddenly felt protective. Almost hesitantly, he wrapped an arm around her trembling form and held her close. 

***** 

Meanwhile, back in the safe house, Heero's laptop was having one of the worst times possible. It swore, that its master was such a jerk sometimes. Firstly, it hadn't had a rest ever since that braided pilot whizzed off. Secondly, it was definitely mind-boggling (or was it motherboard boggling?) when it had to surf the Internet at such a frenzied pace. 

The mouse wasn't any better off. For once, it had an urge to be eaten by a cat if that was what it would take for it to take a rest. And who cares if the cat would choke on the chunk of plastic. 

Of course, Heero couldn't understand their language, so he continued his search. When he had typed in 'meaning of dreams' into the search box, he had been taken aback by the search results. He was provided with hundreds of links, which in turn, proved to be even more links. By the time he read a few of those, he was already feeling the comings of a headache. 

Shaking his head, he clicked on another of those blue links. A soft click told him that the page had finished loading, and he quickly skimmed through. "Sigmund Freud [2]?" he blinked, whispering the name. "Dreams are fulfillment of wishes, usually in disguised form…" 

"Impossible!" he shouted, and his mouse would have squeaked in protest of the sudden tightening of his fist if it could. "Why would I want that to happen!?" 

"Heero? Are you alright?" Quatre worried voice drifted into his room, and he quickly replied. 

With the blonde boy away, Heero turned back to his laptop. "It's not possible…! I don't *want* them together!" he grumbled, almost like a child pouting because he was refused candies. Vaguely, he wondered what was Duo doing with Hirde. 

***** 

With Duo, dinner could become one of the most interesting things in the world. Without him, it was just what it was. Dinner, and nothing more. 

So Heero excused himself from the table quickly that night, after making sure he had eaten enough. 

He retreated to his room, mind still meshed full of thoughts, mostly in revelation at his discovery that morning. It was hard to comprehend that he'd want Duo and Hirde to be together. In fact, it wasn't hard to comprehend. It was totally incomprehensible. There was no way he'd want that to happen when he wanted Duo for himself! 

Heero walked towards his laptop, determined to find out more. Either that, or he could continue reading his new book aptly named 'The Dummy's Guide To Professing your Feelings'. However, before he could decide on his next course of action, a cheerful voice rang through the house, followed by a braided bundle of energy bouncing into his room, and threw a brown paper bag on the floor. He flopped onto his bed almost immediately, diving into the blankets. 

"Oooh~! Nothing like a bed after a day of fun!" Said bundle snuggled deeper into the covers. 

"Get out of my bed, Duo! You're getting it dirty!" The wing pilot walked up to his bed, and pulled the blanket away. 

Duo sulked. "Can't you take pity on your best friend who's as tired as hell?" 

"Where's your shirt?" 

"On me." 

"Why are you wearing this?" Heero nearly winced when he pointed to the large Mickey Mouse print on Duo's shirt. "Where's the black tee shirt you wore this morning?" 

"My black tee is in the paper bag. I dirtied it earlier, when I was out." The braided boy sighed. "This," he gestured to the white shirt he was wearing with a slight grimace, "is Hirde's. She made, no, *forced* me to wear it. I tell ya, the girl's too insistent for her own good." 

"Just be glad Relena isn't the one loaning you or you'd be wearing Barbie in pink." 

Duo stared at him for a moment, then he smirked. "You've been through her closet before?" 

"Baka." 

"Hey! I resent that remark! What can I do if Hirde decided to spill her juice on me when I asked her to try out a relationship with me!?" 

Heero froze. "What?" 

The temperature in the room suddenly dipped, but Duo seemed oblivious. "Hirde's a good girl. I… just wanna protect her." 

"…Aa…" 

[1]: Imagine the GW boys watching 'Aliens'. *chortles* 

[2]: He's an Austrian psychologist who suggested this well-known theory of dreams in the 1980s. 


	5. Part IV

Title: Liberation Part 4 

Author: Sorceress Fantasia 

Pairings: H+2, 3x4, and eventual 1+2 

Warnings: AU, OC, some OOC-ness 

Archives: Lev's Lair 

Fanfiction.net 

MediaMiner 

Disclaimers: That day I went to the store counter in wherever Santa shops and asked for the GW boys. But when the clerk came back after searching their stocks, she told me that the GW boys had already been bought up. So, sadly, I do not own any of the GW boys or the anime. I do, however, own Vespera. 

"You're not being sensible, Duo. Don't you think you and Hirde don't really know each other?" 

"Maybe. But I'm sure we can work it out. You don't build a relationship overnight! Give us some time. Besides, like I told Hirde, this is something like a trial period. We're trying to see if we can really have a good romantic relationship between us." 

Vespera sighed, obviously still sulking. "Fine. This is your choice, and you'll be the one living with the consequences. Just don't blame me later for not warning you if this goes wrong." 

Duo grinned, and slapped her playfully on her back. "Don't get so worked up! You'll get wrinkles before your age, you know?" Not getting a response from her, he added, "Why don't we make a wager?" 

The suggestion seemed to perk the chestnut haired girl somewhat, and she turned the chair she had been sitting on around. "Of what nature?" 

"Let's bet on the relationship between me and Hirde. If it works out, I win. If it doesn't, you win." Duo proposed, a cocksure grin in place. 

Vespera returned that grin. "If I win, you'll have to do something for me." 

Duo nodded. "And if I win, you'll bless both me and Hirde with sweet dreams forever." 

"Deal. I've got nothing to lose but my life, and I got that for free." 

They chuckled, and slapped their hands together to seal the bet. 

***** 

Heero grimaced, making a mental note to hack into those websites he had visited yesterday and delete them. None of them had mentioned a word about dreams having sequels! 

Duo and Hirde were finally going off the dance floor, after hours and hours of dancing. Heero vaguely wondered if he could ask Professor J to invent shoes as durable as theirs, enough to still be intact after all that friction. 

Quickly, as though competing against time, the two scrambled out of the disco and practically shot off. Duo seemed to be more anxious, as he dragged Hirde a few blocks down, and eventually arrived in front of an apartment. He pulled her to him with his left hand, passionately devouring her lips, while slotting every key into the keyhole. When he finally found the right key, he shoved the door opened. Throwing the metal bunch into a tray nearby, he carried Hirde in, kicking the door close. 

Heero closed his eyes and looked away when Duo whisked Hirde off into what undoubtedly had to be a bedroom. 

'What's going on? This can't be my innermost thoughts!' He swallowed hard, clenching his fists. 

Suddenly, he felt the lights fade away, and his eyes snapped open. Looking around, he found himself alone in a dark place, and Duo's apartment was nowhere to be seen. He was having problems seeing his fingers even. Black mist blanketed him, and he shivered in cold. 'Where is this place?' 

"Inside your mind!" A chirpy voice rang out. 

Heero spun around. To his surprise, a figure emerged from the dark mist. Heero heard someone –presumably the newcomer- snapping fingers, and the darkness wavered for a short moment. It wasn't long before the black mist cleared away, and a dim light began to shine through. 

"That's better! I'm a little achluophobic, yeah? For a moment there, I thought I was gonna freak out. I'm being contradictory, aren't I? I love black," the person said, and Heero could actually feel a smile. 

He took a closer look at the figure in front of him. If he hadn't known earlier from the person's voice, he was now definitely sure that the person was a she. In fact, she didn't look a day older than himself. Her violet eyes sparkled as she flashed her pearly white teeth in a smile that graced her pink lips. Looking at Heero curiously, she twirled a lock of her chestnut hair around her finger. 

For a moment, the Japanese pilot just stood there looking. 'She resembles Duo so much… If Duo were a girl, he would probably look like this…' 

"Hey. Has anyone ever told you that staring is impolite?" 

"Go… Gomen…" Suddenly snapping out of his trance, his training finally decided to kick in. Hand moving for his gun, he nearly gasped when he couldn't feel the familiar chill of the metal. 

The girl looked faintly amused, if not a little nervous. "Gee… I knew you were a tad on the suicidal side, but murder? Do I look like an OZ soldier to you?" 

"Who are you?" 

"Me? Wanna make a guess?" She smirked, still gazing at Heero with those doe eyes that reminded him of Duo. 

"Duo." 

"Hey! As far as I know, Duo didn't go for a sex change operation!" she laughed, her eyes twinkling. "But yeah! I guess I do look like that adorable guy." 

"Why?" 

"Why? Hmm… That's a tough one. It's like you're asking me why I'm me." She winced when she noticed Heero's patented glare of doom. Inwardly, she questioned herself again if this would all really work out. Heero Yuy was such a… stiff guy. Can't take jokes, and definitely not one to initiate any. It seemed that everything he ever thought of, apart from a choice few, revolved around missions and his gundam. He was so different from Duo. 

"Ooookay. Not one for jokes, huh?" she asked, almost hoping that he'd prove her wrong. Then again, she told herself, she would probably get a heart attack if he really did so. 

Heero continued glaring. 

"Fine," Vespera huffed, "I'm what you envision. Since you like Duo so very much…" She batted her eyes knowingly, stifling a grin when she saw Heero blush. 

"Name." 

"Wha?" 

"Your name." 

"You know, normally, when people ask for names, they introduce themselves first. But since you're Heero Yuy, I guess I can ignore that one." She nodded to herself, and added 'bad social skills' under her list. "Like I said before, wanna guess?" 

Glare. 

"Guess not… I'm not Rumpelstiltskin [1] anyway…" She mumbled and gave him a careless shrug. "My name is Vespera. You can call me Ves, though." 

Heero's eyes narrowed, and he reached for his gun again only to remember it wasn't there. "How do you know my name?" 

"Doesn't half the universe know?" she muttered to herself, rolling her eyes. Then in a louder tone, she answered, "Well, don't you remember this person whom you always talked to when you were younger?" 

"No." 

"Doesn't really matter. I was your invisible friend back then," she explained nonchalantly, wagging a finger at him as though he was a little boy who had misbehaved. 

"I had an invisible friend?" he asked, voice brimming with incredulity. Absently, he wondered if this was some kind of mind control computer program Professor J had installed into him without his knowledge. 

"Why not? A lot of people do. But well, you've been cooping me up in the dusty corner of your mind the past few years. You just don't have a childhood, " she lamented, looking at him sympathetically. Vespera congratulated herself on saying the lamest, and most impossible thing. But then, it was a good thing that Heero was unfamiliar with all the stuff going through a kid's mind that he would take her word her it. "And no, I'm not a computer program." 

Heero took a sharp intake of breath, almost ready to back away from the black-clad enigma. 

"I'm your invisible friend, remember? What makes you think I can't hear what you're thinking?" she asked. Giving him a gentle nudge in the shoulder, she added, "Well, if you're wondering why I'm back suddenly, it's because you're in a major dilemma, and you need a listening ear." 

"…Dilemma?" 

Nod. 

"Impossible. A soldier should not be in a dilemma. If he is, he should rectify the problem immediately." A cold gleam entered Heero's cobalt eyes, and his posture stiffened. 

Vespera rolled her eyes, but resisted the urge to slap her forehead and Heero's impossibly thick skull. "Would you please, for god's sake, take a break!? It's amazing how someone can still be in soldier mode while in dreamland!" 

"Soldiers do not dream." 

"Wanna bet?" she intoned monotonously. "Everybody in this frigging world dreams! Really. Even a dog on the streets dreams of bones raining from the sky. And your friends dream too!" 

"Friends?" 

"Hello~! Quatre, Wufei, Trowa, Duo… Do those names ring a bell? Or does your mind have the 'delete' function like your laptop, and those names were deleted just a few seconds earlier?" 

"Soldiers don't have friends." 

Vespera sighed. "Are you sure you're human? Last I heard, humans were *supposed* to be social animals!" She took a step close to the Japanese pilot, cocking her head to one side to peer at him. "Anyway, we're way off track. Back to your dilemma." Her tone denied any chance of it not happening. 

Heero shrugged, and crossed his arms. 

"You seem to like a certain someone, but you can't make up your mind on what to do about it. Right?" She pointed a finger at Heero, smile firmly back in place. "So now we gotta…" 

"Wait! What do you mean I like someone!?" he asked, red creeping onto his face. 

She raised a knowing eyebrow, and her grin widened when she saw the blush. It was now official. Heero's blood was competing in a cross-body race, and all seemed to recognize his face as the finishing line. 

"I don't think you want me to name names. But I can give you some food for thought! Remember the dreams?" At Heero's nod, she continued, "Those dreams could happen some time soon, since Duo and Hirde are officially a couple. What do you feel about that?" 

"…Bad." 

"Surely, you don't want that to happen, now do you? If so, I suggest that you'd better do something about your feelings before that happens!" 

"Like what? And why should I do it?" 

"For your first question, don't ask me. You're supposed to find out yourself. For your second question, why not?! Are you gonna let the person you like slip away from you just because you were afraid to approach him?" she snapped. 

Under her diamond hard gaze, he kept silent. 

"I didn't think so…" she uttered. "Well. You've got more than enough things to think about for tonight, so I guess I'll leave you alone to your thoughts. Just for goodness sake, don't let your thoughts go back to where they were." 

Heero nodded. "Will you come back again?" he asked, knowing that he needed a person to talk to if he ever wanted to get his thoughts sorted out. And this girl seemed to be the perfect person. Somehow. 

She cocked her head. "So you finally acknowledge that you need a talking companion? Your laptop may be a good listener, it can't talk back to you. Well, I guess I'll be back soon. Tomorrow night, maybe? Gotta go now!" she said, and turned to run away. 

"Hey wait!" Heero shouted, "What's your name?" 

But she did not answer. Instead, she kept to her pace and soon, she disappeared out of sight. 

However, from a distance, the answer echoed. "I'm Vespera!" 

With that, Heero felt his eyes flutter open. Holding up one hand to block out the blinding glare from the beams of sunlight that strayed into his room through the windows, he shut his eyes again. Then, something seemed to have sunk into his mind and he bolted up. 

"What's going on? Was that a dream? Vespera?" 

***** 

Duo woke up groggily. Without the sweet dreams had Vespera blessed him with for the past few nights, he felt strange and a little out of place. As he yawned, he briefly recalled last night's events. He had made a bet with Vespera. And the smug expression she had… it made him shudder. Heaven knows what she was up to. 

Usually, it wasn't too hard to read what she was thinking. After all, she was the type who wore her heart on her sleeve. But it seemed that she had finally learned the art of concealing, and he had no idea what was going through her mind last night. 'Probably some ploy to make me lose the bet,' he thought sourly. 'Doesn't matter. I'm not gonna lose that easily.' 

The bet. It reminded him of Heero somehow. He didn't know why though, just a feeling that the bet had something, or would have something to do with the withdrawn Japanese pilot. He just wondered what was it… 

With another yawn, he reached for his alarm clock sitting so innocently on the nightstand. Picking it up, he looked at it. 9.30am. Fine. So he put the clock back down. Then, he picked it up again. His eyes widened as realization finally hit him like a tsunami. 9.30am. It was way beyond 9am. Which meant that he was very, very late for his date. 

"Oh crap! I am so gonna be late!!!" 

***** 

By the time Duo arrived at their rendezvous point, after much rushing and dashing throughout the whole journey, it was already ten-thirty, one and a half hours late. Slapping his forehead in frustration, he scanned the area for his date. Finally, he found her sitting alone on a bench. She was almost dozing off. 'Great job, Duo Maxwell. First date with your girlfriend, and you're late. Very late,' he reprimanded himself mentally. 

He made his way towards Hirde. With a gentle shake, she woke up, startled. "Duo?" 

Duo immediately apologized, "I sorry! I guess I slept too late last night! I'm really very sorry!" 

Hirde smiled. "It's okay. I just arrived too. Late for forty-five minutes." 

Her boyfriend asked, "Why? Did you have a bad night?" 

"No. I was just… too excited to fall asleep. I find some things… hard to believe," she replied with a gentle smile. 

Duo felt bad. Really very bad. He now understood that Hirde seemed to love him more than he loved her. And despite his promise to Vespera, he wasn't sure whether he would grow to love the woman in front of him. Like and love were two completely different matter. Perhaps she was right, that he had made a brash decision because of the deadline… …Did he? 

***** 

"How was your date today?" 

Duo gazed at Heero through narrowed eyes, and had to remind himself to shut his slack jaws. Were his ears fooling him? Or had Heero Yuy, the perfect soldier completely dedicated to the mission, seriously asked him about his date earlier? 

"Heero? Are you okay?" 

"Perfectly," he answered, gritting out his words. Irritably, he turned and walked away. 

The American pilot was left standing in the corridor, thoroughly perplexed at Heero's sudden concern. Although he didn't admit it, it was really comforting to see him initiate a conversation. At least his efforts to get Heero to open up was getting paid off. Usually, he enjoyed raising Heero's ire with his incessant chatting and teasing, mainly because of his reactions. It was only a snort, but Duo felt delighted that there was just a reaction coming from the perfect soldier. Even if it spoke of irritation. Somehow, Duo felt that he *had* to help him open up his heart. As a friend, he assumed. A good friend. 

But Heero had seldom initiated a conversation with him based on such frivolous topics. In his stunned surprise, he had responded the way he shouldn't have. And now Heero was getting angry. 

Duo sighed. 

***** 

"What is wrong with him? When I'm not concerned, he complains. When I try to concerned, he doesn't believe me!" 

"Maybe it's you. You've always been cold. And I do know that Duo has had better conversations with a brick wall," Vespera answered as-a-matter-of-factly. 

Heero sighed deeply, a frown marring his handsome features. "So what do I do? Try again? Or go back to acting like myself, the cold and callous soldier?" 

"Like yourself? Heero, I don't suppose you know exactly what's beneath your lukewarm surface, do you?" 

What an eloquent cryptic answer. "What do you mean by that?" he asked, eyeing the girl suspiciously. 

She merely smiled. Vespera closed her bright violet orbs and chanted softly, raising an arm over her head. Suddenly, they were at another place. 

A myriad of colours greeted them. An endless waltz of beautiful flowers swayed lovingly towards each other as the smoothing breeze blew across the land. The enchanting petals became stages bristling with glory and fame, and the butterflies danced and fluttered around them in their performance. The sun shone gently on them and its rays reached every corner of the place. Wispy white clouds drifted across the skies lazily, shielding the land from the sometimes hot ball of fire. Heero would be lying if he said he didn't like the gigantic garden. 

"This place is captivating." 

"Sure it is. Do you know where we are now?" With another amused smile, she answered herself, "We are inside of you. This is your subconscious. The place where dreams becomes reality." Seeing Heero's dumbfounded expression, she explained further, "Everything you see here, is what you want. Like these flowers, for instance," she paused, holding up a yellow diasy and inhaled its romantic fragrance. "You like flowers a lot, don't you? That's why they're here. This is your Promised Land. A land that promises boundless happiness. It is where you want to be in, with your loved ones." 

"My Promised Land," Heero echoed. 

"One and only. Yours exclusively," Vespera assured him. Then, she pointed somewhere faraway. "See? Those are the people you treasure a lot in your life, but perhaps you don't even know it." 

Heero looked at the direction she pointed. There, he saw, were several children engaged in a game of tag. And a little further away, was a much older man overlooking the playing children. Vespera held his arm and pulled him along to them. However, they stayed up in the air, and saw the kids playing with wide grins plastered onto their faces. Slowly, Heero identified them one by one. 

"That's Relena… and that is Trowa, Wufei and Quatre." The names rolled off his tongue slowly, tone dripping with disbelief. The four children were laughing and playing happily. Heero never knew that they could be that happy. At least, not in the real life. "And that man… Odin Lowe?" 

Then, a sonorous laugh attracted his attention. He saw, to his right, were two children sitting together in a conversation. One had an extraordinarily long chestnut braid and was rolling on the ground, clutching his stomach. He was panting and still laughing. The other kid was… himself. He had a smile on his face, and his eyes were warm. Before his braided companion could get up, he pounced and tackled him. 

All of a sudden, Heero found himself back in the place he was in before. Vespera smiled as she spoke, "How is it? You see? That piece of beauty still lies in you. Deep, but it still exists. You're not as cold as you may think. That younger version of you is the real you. It's just that, after so many years of training and bloodshed, you've learnt to hide yourself behind your perfect soldier mask." 

Heero shook his head in disbelief. "Why are all of them children? I only got to know them when they were fifteen…" 

Vespera replied, "That's because you believe that they are pure in their hearts, like children. You really like them a lot. Especially Duo," she noted with satisfaction. "Now, tell me. Why are they inside your subconscious? You should know why. Let's start with Relena. I thought you've always wanted to kill her?" 

"She… made a difference in me. Because of her, I started to feel, if only a little. And after all, she is an important person in this war-torn world. The world needs her." 

"And the others?" 

"Quatre is innocent at heart. I used to resent that, but now I realise that it's his innocence that preserves his heart. It's what enables to go through this war and not lose his soul. And Trowa… I got to know him in that one month of recuperation after my self-destruct attempt. He may be cold and impassive, but underneath all that façade, he still has a heart. For time and time again, he has saved us. And Wufei makes our group whole with his shouts of 'justice'. He makes our little group whole in his own special way." 

"And Duo?" Vespera prompted eagerly. 

"He… showed me what it was to survive, when all others did not. He taught me what it meant to smile when I thought it was just another facial expression. He taught me what it was like to enjoy the little things in life, and still fight for what I believe in. He's different from anyone I've ever known. I don't ever want to lose him, lose what he's taught and shown me." 

'If I have my way, you'd be stuck to him like glue,' she thought to herself. But instead, she said, "You'd have to learn then, Heero, how to keep his friendship with you. You talk with him, you listen to him, you learn from him, and you feel him. Only then will you be able to build up your relationship with someone. Maintaining a relationship is not about waiting for it to happen. It's to make it happen." 

She would have said more, but a voice called for her. And she faded back into the shadows, allowing Heero to think for himself. 

Then, Heero woke up. 

[1]: Just in case some of you don't know, Rumpelstiltskin is the name of the gnome. The girl had to guess his name correctly or give him her first born in exchange for his help spinning straw into gold. 


	6. Part V

Title: Liberation Part 5 

Author: Sorceress Fantasia 

Pairings: H+2, 3x4, and eventual 1+2 

Warnings: AU, OC, some OOC-ness 

Archives: Lev's Lair 

Fanfiction.net 

MediaMiner 

Disclaimers: That day I went to the store counter in wherever Santa shops and asked for the GW boys. But when the clerk came back after searching their stocks, she told me that the GW boys had already been bought up. So, sadly, I do not own any of the GW boys or the anime. I do, however, own Vespera. 

Duo paced around impatiently. "Vespera, where the hell are you?" he mumbled under his breath. As if on cue, a faint outline of her appeared from within his shadow cast onto the wall. 

"What's up?" she asked. "You know, that was some perfect timing, Duo. I was talking to a friend of mine and you just had to call me. What's with you now?" 

"I just have something to ask you," he replied, almost pouting. 

"And what is it?" 

For a moment, he flushed and scratched the back of his head. Then he asked sheepishly, "Well, I was just wondering… What do couples do when they're on a date?" 

If she could, she would have fallen out of bed. But she was nowhere near that furniture, so she settled for a little sweatdrop. 

"I… I'm running out of things to do with her! t's like, we've gone to the movies, we've gone to the disco, the restaurants, the parks, funfairs… Where else can we go?" 

"I don't think I'm in the position to comment on your boring schedule with her. But, don't couples have a lot to do together?" 

"Like?" 

"Basking in each other's presence. A kiss. A hug. Anything. When you are with someone you love, you just enjoy being with that person. It's the feelings, the passion that you get. You feel like you're on the top of the world just being with her. What you're doing together is pretty secondary. Get my drift?" 

At this, Duo sighed exaggeratedly. "I know that. But it's hard to feel that way." 

"Because you're not in love with her," she stated flatly. 

"I am!" he snapped irately. 

Vespera frowned disapprovingly. Duo had never snapped or barked at her for as long as she could remember, but he had did it for the sake of a woman. "You sound like you're trying to assure yourself instead of me." Then, she turned around to leave. As she walked away, she offered, "Try out the beach today." 

And then she was gone. 

***** 

The next few days passed by swiftly. Everyday, Duo would go out with Hirde, and then arrive back at the safehouse for a brainstorming session to decide what to do the next day. Occasionally, and when Vespera was in the mood for some talking, he would ask her for ideas. But it wasn't doing any good, because after all, it was not a long-term solution. His ideas and Vespera's contributions could only do so much. And even when he was out with Hirde, they were often at a loss as to what exactly to do. There was little to talk about apart from the war, but that was certainly not conversational material ideal for a dating couple. 

As for Heero, he spoke with Vespera almost on a nightly basis. His childhood invisible friend was slowly becoming his confidant whom he talked to about many things few had ever known. She, on the other hand, supplied him with helpful answers and sometimes, thought-provoking questions. However, even with her around, Heero was still befuddled about his feelings towards the noisy braided pilot. He was sure that Duo was more than just a friend, but what was he to him then? He had no idea, and even though Vespera seemed to have an idea about it, she adamantly refused to tell him. Instead, she insisted that Heero should find out himself. 

Once, in an attempt to get an opportunity of having Duo closer and hence increase his chances of understanding what he was feeling, Heero invited Duo out for dinner. It was a simple fare, and the quiet restaurant offered them a chance to really talk. When the night was over, they promised each other dinner again the next night. Eventually, it became almost a tradition to have dinner or supper together, just the two of them. 

But that one meal wasn't enough for Heero, who wanted even more time with his braided friend when he found out just how wonderful it felt to be close to him. Soon, they began jogging together in the mornings. 

Of course, that meant that Duo's time with Hirde became almost limited, but neither seemed too bothered by it after a while. 

The other pilots saw the gradual change in Heero and silently cheered him on. Heero had long been their comrade, but he was slowly becoming their friend as well. They knew just how hard the Wing pilot's life had been, and were glad that he seemed to become happier. Besides, they were sure that a more socially active life would prove to be healthier for his psyche. 

And somehow, they all knew that the change was due to a certain braided baka who did not seem to have the slightest idea about it. 

***** 

"I'll race you!" Duo shouted, and a burst of energy appeared forth to allow him to leave his jogging companion quite a distance behind. 

Heero smirked, looking intently at the flailing braid behind his friend. Duo made such a lovely sight, even when he was covered in perspiration after a long jog. That was the one reason Heero had always trailed behind him whenever they jogged together, just so he could always keep an eye on him. But Heero hated to back down from a challenge. 

Gathering up what was left of his stamina, he gave chase after the cheeky American pilot. It was a relatively easy task, since Duo was already tired after their long jog earlier, and he'd always been the one with more stamina. Within a few minutes, he had overtaken the braided boy with a lot of distance between. 

"Oh no you don't! Nobody wins Death this easily!" Duo cried playfully, and immediately took off after him. With a bit of effort, he caught up with Heero again. 

Eyeing the braided pilot from the corner of his eye, Heero found himself temporarily bedazzled by the amazing smile on Duo's face. It was bright, cheery and… just beautiful. Suddenly, he felt the burning desire to hold the braided boy in his arms. But apart from that craving, there was also some measure of rascality. Almost mischievously, he pounced on Duo, much like a cat diving on a mouse. Duo, who probably had never imagined that Heero could have a playful streak, was totally caught off guard by this surprise attack. They tumbled down onto the ground in a tangled web of arms and legs. 

It was a while before they found themselves tangled together on the ground, and a while longer before Duo started to laugh aloud. His laughter was apparently contagious, for Heero found it difficult to stifle his own chuckles. 

"Man, you're really crazy," Duo joked, giving Heero a little slap on his back. Carefully, he untangled himself from the comfortable cocoon of warmth of their bodies created. Sighing happily, he leaned back on the grass, gazing up at the clear blue sky. 

The Japanese pilot just chuckled a little, and sat down beside Duo. "You've said that before." 

Duo raised an eyebrow at the answer. Peering at Heero, he asked cheekily, "Who are you and what have you done to Heero?" When Heero just snorted, he let it slide. After all, he figured it was a tough question. Still, he wondered what had happened to his friend to initiate the change in him. Heero had, over the past few weeks, become a lot more amiable, though he still had a long way to go to becoming gregarious. Despite that, Heero was undeniably his best friend, past and present. 

'Maybe he doesn't notice it, but Heero's really a good friend,' Duo thought. 

But his mind countered, 'Are you sure that's all he is to you?' And that always rendered Duo speechless without fail. On a few occasions, he had tried to come up with an answer to that, but he always fell short. It just seemed that he wasn't ready to answer that yet. 

For a long time, he had taken Heero to be his best friend, and nothing more than that. But now that Heero was suddenly showing a great deal of effort of returning his friendship, he wondered if it was actually possible to advance their relationship. Still, it wasn't as if Heero was trying to be anything more than just a friend either. Besides, he… Suddenly, Duo felt the need to ask him something rather private. 

"Heero, do you like Relena?" 

Heero was shocked for a moment, and he vaguely wondered why was Duo bringing up that girl. "Why do you ask?" 

"Just… curious. I'm allowed to be curious about my friend, aren't I?" 

To his relief, Heero gave him a nod and answered, "Yes, I do like her… a lot…" 

In that moment, Duo finally understood how true it was that words were indeed a powerful weapon. Just that few words had managed to sink his heart and he quickly turned away lest Heero saw. Still, he didn't understand. Just why was he feeling almost… broken hearted? 

Then, Heero added, "She's a good friend." 

"Just a good friend?" Duo asked, turning back to look at him. 

"Just a good friend." 

While words had the power to hurt, they also had the power to heal. Instantly, Duo felt better already. His heart climbed up a few notches. He still had no idea what he was feeling, but at least, it felt good. And Duo had no intention of letting that wondrous sensation slip away again. At that thought, a smile broke out on his face. 

Heero almost melted when he saw him smile that way. He wished for some absurd reason he could make this moment freeze in time, or frame it up just so that he could savour it everyday. Duo was beautiful everyday, but at that moment, as he smiled widely at him, he was heavenly. 

Beautiful… how lovely you are, Duo, Heero mused. 

But when Duo flushed a bright scarlet, he knew that he had spoken his thoughts aloud. Still, he refused to let Duo see his own embarrassment. After all, he spoke what he knew was the truth and there was definitely no need to be ashamed of the truth. 

"Heero?" 

"Yes?" 

"Did you… Never mind," Duo mumbled, and rolled onto his stomach to hide his face. Although he couldn't see it, he knew without a doubt that his face was worse than a ripe tomato. But… who wouldn't, if Heero, the guy who seemed to have little acknowledgement of beauty, had said that they were beautiful? 

In his embarrassment, Duo did not notice when Heero had picked up the end of his braid. Almost tempted to remove the elastic band, Heero just brushed it against his hands. In a moment of trance, he held it to his nose and breathed in its scent. It smelled… nice. He could faintly make out apricot. Was that the artificial fragrance of Duo's shampoo? No, he told himself. The smell was distinctively… Duo. And nothing could ever come close. 

That afternoon, they just spent it together in the park, basking under the sun and each other's presence. And Duo just forgot about his afternoon date with his girlfriend. 

***** 

Heero slumped down onto the ground, or whatever it was he was sitting on. His dream world was mostly a shrouded dark world that seemed to have no beginning or end. He could be sitting on the ceiling for all he knew. That did not bother him though, for it was of little matter. Instead, he glanced up at the girl sitting in front of him. 

"What is love?" 

Vespera blinked hard for a moment, almost unbelieving that they had indeed gone so far. Then she smiled. "It's a feeling, an emotion that will bring you to the heights of glory and happiness. But sometimes, it can also bring you down to the deepest chasm of darkness that will threaten to engulf you. When you love someone, you don't find faults. Instead, you look for excuses." 

"But what if it's friendship? How do you differentiate?" 

"Do you stay because a blinding, incomprehensible mix of pain and elation pulls you close and holds you? Does your heart ache and break when they're sad? Does his eyes see your heart in its entirety, and touch your soul so deeply it hurts? If it does, it's love. There's just a thin line between love and friendship. When you love someone, he's not just someone you love. He's also your friend, your confidant."  
  
"If love is painful, and tortures us so, why do we love? Why do we spend our lives searching for that one person who can break you like no one else ever could? Why do we submit ourselves to that power?" 

"Because… it's love," she answered simply. "Love may hurt you, may even cripple you. But would you give up the chance of getting your happiness, the feeling of elation and ecstasy, just because you're afraid? Love can make your pain clearer, but it can also make your soul happier. I won't say that love conquers all, because it doesn't. But if you manage to conquer all for love, I can assure you that you're one of the happiest man alive."  
  
"I want to know what love is… but can I actually understand it?" 

"Heero, I've showed you what's inside your heart. You are, like many others, innocent and naïve at heart. It is a state of mind, not a fact. You've killed in the name of peace, but that does not make you any less of a man. And that alone, will enable you to find love. Lands diminish, Heero, but not our hearts." She placed a gentle hand over her heart. 

Heero went silent. 

"You may lie to yourself, but you will never lie to your heart. You know why you love, and whom you love. Don't ever ignore what you feel. Sometimes, it's better to believe your heart than your mind." 

Heero nodded mutely, his mind still in deep contemplation. 

***** 

"Duo, how are things between you and Hirde? Is it working out? There's only three days left before our deadline," Vespera reminded, propping her feet on his chair. Somehow, she preferred to sit on the table rather than the chair, much to the annoyance of the braided pilot. 

Said pilot plopped down onto his bed, feeling completely zonked. Kicking off his shoes absently, he snuggled into a comfortable spot. "I know that. We will work out, eventually." 

"Eventually?" she echoed, as if tauntingly. "Duo, it's three days, not three months. It's a difference of around eighty over days," Vespera remarked, blowing her bangs away from her eyes. When they kept falling back, she pulled them back with a careless swipe. "I hope that you didn't forget about the test either." 

That seemed to be a cue, and Duo immediately sprang up from his bed to stare at her. "Test? What test?" 

Vespera rolled her eyes in frustration. "So you *did* forget. You're such scatterbrain. Of all things to forget, you choose to forget about the test. Okay, you remember something about testing whether the love between you and your lover is strong enough?" 

Duo's eyes widen as he remembered. "You mean *that*?" 

"Finally," she breathed. "But I know for a fact that you've forgotten about the details, right? So, I'll fill you in. Again. The test will weigh your love for each other. And your lover's love for you must be at least as much as you love her, or even more. But of course, you must love her too, enough for her to be your lover and not just a mere friend." 

"Oh shit…" 

"Why?" Vespera asked in all sweetness. 

"I… I just don't feel that way towards her yet! Or rather, I like her a lot. But I'm not sure if that is enough!" 

"So make it enough," she replied innocently, as though she was asking why was the sky blue. 

Duo's shoulders slumped. Sulking, he replied, "You know, Vespera? Sometimes, I really do hate you." 

She just smirked. 


	7. Part VI

Title: Liberation Part 6 

Author: Sorceress Fantasia 

Pairings: H+2, 3x4, and eventual 1+2 

Warnings: AU, OC, some OOC-ness 

Archives: Lev's Lair 

Fanfiction.net 

MediaMiner 

Disclaimers: That day I went to the store counter in wherever Santa shops and asked for the GW boys. But when the clerk came back after searching their stocks, she told me that the GW boys had already been bought up. So, sadly, I do not own any of the GW boys or the anime. I do, however, own Vespera. 

Duo and Hirde walked down the street with disinterest. They were both unsure of what to say, and least of all, what to do now. They had watched another movie earlier -their third in a week- and even the movie was boring them. The initial excitement and elation of their relation seemed to have dissipated like a snowflake in the morning sun, and all that was left was a puddle of dull water. 

For a while, Duo wished that he had stayed in the safehouse with Heero instead. At least, they could have tuned up their gundams together and even that once mundane task could become very interesting, as he had proven the other day. He had turned on the com unit in Deathscythe by mistake, and as per tradition, he sang a myriad of songs. Off tune. Heero had of course, heard every one of them and even recorded a few. Now he was threatening to duplicate the file and send it to everyone they knew. 

Not only had he given up that, Hirde had been trying to tell him something throughout the day. Somehow though, she was repeatedly interrupted. Or maybe that was a good thing. Duo had a sneaking suspicion that that wasn't something he would like to hear. 

He sighed again. 

Suddenly, as they rounded a corner, Hirde bumped into someone, and Duo quickly steadied her. But the other guy was not as lucky, or just didn't have the same social skills as Hirde. His friends just guffawed loudly as he fell on his bum, cursing a long string. 

'A gangster, of all people,' Duo noted with distaste. 

"Sorry…" Hirde said, almost reflexively. 

"You bitch! Look at my clothes! They're all soiled!" the man moaned. "You'd better pay me for my laundry bills!" He grabbed Hirde by her shoulder. 

"Let go of Hirde, you bastard!" Duo shouted irately, and pulled her towards himself. Those thugs were getting on his nerves. 

"Kids these days. How rude," the man laughed, obviously amused. "Now look, kid. This lady here soiled my clothes. Unless you pay the laundry bills, otherwise…" he trailed off. His gang of friends laughed merrily and yelled, "Yeah! Pay up!" 

"Pay you? I would rather burn my money than to give them to you!" Duo spat, disgustedly. 

"Oh yeah? Don't say we didn't give you a chance!" he shouted, and he lunged forward to deliver a heavy blow to Duo's face. 

But Duo jumped aside dexterously, and retaliated. With a powerful kick to his bum, the idiot flew into the heap of rubbish by the side. He remarked mirthfully, "Aren't you going to thank me? I sent you back home!" 

His friends wavered for a moment, then one stood out and yelled, "C'mon guys! Let's teach this kid a lesson! Someone pull off that sissy braid!" 

"Yeah!" the gang of crooks answered in unison. Together, they ran up towards Duo, trying their best to bash Duo into a pulp. That might have worked for a normal man, but unfortunately for them, Duo was no ordinary person. He was after all, a gundam pilot with years of combat training. 

Within minutes, Duo got away with some minor bruises and scrapes. On the other hand, the gangsters were all lying on the ground (or in the rubbish heap), some clutching at their stomachs and groaning while others were already unconscious. It looked as though a tornado had just passed through the vicinity. 

Snorting, Duo turned and grabbed Hirde's hand. "Let's go, Ves…" 

"Duo?" 

Blinking, Duo turned back. "Hirde?" he asked, almost confused. Then he shook his head. "Let's go, Hirde." 

***** 

"You know, you were on a date with Hirde, for god's sake? Why did you call me there? I got there, to that stinky place, only to find all those thugs still moaning like hell," Vespera complained. "One of them was even lounging on the rubbish heap!" 

"I… I don't know for sure. Just in that moment, I thought I was with you," he explained. Looking up at her, he added, "You remember that one time you were cornered by a few guys in school?" 

She nodded. "Of course. How could I forget? Those guys were apparently not happy with me, and they tried to beat me up after school dismissal. You saved me though, and we got the lecture of our lives for that brawl. Still, I would say that Jason deserved that broken arm as much as Van deserved that broken nose," she huffed, crossing her arm at that memory. 

"I think… when I was beating those guys up this afternoon, I didn't see them. I mean, it was like Jason and Van and their gang's faces were superimposed on those guys! I was… reminded of when you were cornered and nearly beaten up." 

"You…" Vespera frowned. "You thought Hirde was me?" 

"Maybe." 

"So…" 

He nodded. "Maybe you're right. I've only loved her as a brother, and nothing more." 

"What're you gonna do? Break up?" 

"I won't lead her on anymore. It's not fair to her… and me. Someone else will step into her life, and walk up the red aisle and towards the road of happiness with her. I'm definitely not that person. But I just don't know how to tell me that." 

"Be honest with her, Duo. It'll make things easier." 

"I know. 

***** 

Duo kicked at a small pebble on the concrete pavement. Hirde just walked silently beside him, head bowed low as if she was hiding something. Eventually, they found themselves at Hirde's doorstep. She was about to close her door, when Duo stopped her. 

"Hirde, wait. I've got something to tell you." Hirde opened her door wider and waited patiently. The braided pilot frowned at the silence between them. It was so thick that he was positive that he could cut it with a knife. Finally, he broke the silence with his husky voice. 

"Hirde, I… I…" He struggled to get the words out of his throat. If the situation weren't so serious, he might have even laughed at himself. He could fly into death's waiting arms without a second thought all for the sake of peace, but telling Hirde how he felt was one of the most difficult things he would ever do. Finally, he forced himself to continue, "Gomen, Hirde. But… I don't feel that way for you. I thought I did, I really did. But now, after so many days of trying and lying to myself, I find that I can't do it. Maybe… I love you like a sister. And… there can't be anything more between us. I'm really sorry." He bowed, his eyes downcast, almost afraid to face Hirde now. 

She bit her lips. Words struggled up her throat and clamored to get out...reasons, both sensible and ridiculous...anything to keep him here. But she swallowed them back down, realizing the truth of his words. It wasn't true love, and it wouldn't bring them happiness. If anything, it would just make them both miserable. 

Finally, she nodded sadly. "I understand. Perhaps I've known about this from the beginning, almost since we started dating. Even when we were together, your heart wasn't always with me. But even so, I didn't want to let you go. I was selfish and greedy; I wanted to keep you with me, even if I couldn't have your heart. But now, I guess you're right. We can't go on like this…" She felt her heart wrench, and her eyes brim with tears, but she felt that she had a tremendous weight taken off from her shoulders. "We can still be friends, can't we?" 

Duo nodded firmly. "I'll always, always be your friend." 

"Well then, I guess this is goodbye." 

"Thank you, Hirde." 

She shook her head, and offered him a smile. "No, thank you, Duo." 

He smiled back, and giving her a gentle peck on her cheek, Duo turned and ran off. 

Hirde stood at her door, watching Duo disappear into the darkness. With a strangled sob, she finally let the tears fall freely. But the pain wasn't as acute as she had thought, the agony not as unbearable as she had imagined. Perhaps, she was doing the right thing. 

For the both of them. 

Suddenly, she felt a lot better. 

***** 

"Can you really let him go?" a voice asked. 

Hirde glanced to her side, then replied wistfully, "It's hard, but I have to. I'll hurt him if I keep him here." She snuggled deeper into the darkness, feeling warm. She wasn't afraid of the darkness, having become used to it over the last few days. It was… comforting. 

"Yes… that's right." 

"We've tried dating, and now we both know that we're not meant to be. It makes me better, knowing that we had at least tried before giving up. And I still have Duo as my friend. I won't ever give that up," Hirde replied resolutely. "Do you think I did the right thing," she looked beside her, "Vespera?" 

Vespera gave her a warm smile. "If you think you've done the right thing, then you have. And it is better to have a friend, rather than an estranged ex-lover, do you not think so?" 

Hirde nodded. 

"Someone once told me that everyone has a guiding star." 

"A guiding star?" 

"Yes," Vespera replied absently, eyes looking lost in thoughts. Or perhaps it was her memories. "Everyone has a star guiding them to their destined paths. But sometimes, when you lose faith in it, it will become dimmer and you'd be misled… Don't envy the beauty of shooting stars; don't long for the brighter Northern star; you have your own star. It calls to you, as you would call to it. When you're afraid, when you're lonely, just look up… and reach for your own. Believe in it, and it will lead you to where you should be." 

Hirde looked upwards, and suddenly, the black veil that was covering the skies became a dazzling canvas of celestial bodies, each fighting to be the most brilliant. Yes, there was the beautiful shooting stars falling in an amazing shower, and the steady glow of the Northern star, but Hirde did not notice them. 

All she saw, was her own little star. It wasn't the most magnificent, nor was it the most vivid, but it was enough. 

"I feel its presence. And it's speaking to me…" Her voice was in awe, and her eyes fluttered shut. "I will find my happiness in someone else, as will Duo." 

"Yes, you will," Vespera replied, unable to contain the smile on her face. Quietly, she left Hirde to her own thoughts. It was better this way. At least, Hirde would be able to go on with her life. Sadness was bound to be there, but if she believed that she could go on, she would certainly be able to. 

Then her mind fell into deep concentration. Now that Duo had broken up with Hirde, what was he going to do? It was only one more day to their deadline, and there was little more she could do other than pray. 

***** 

"Beep!" That sound was unmistakably the signal of incoming mail. Heero walked over to his laptop and checked his mailbox. It was a mission that required all five pilots, and they were to blow up an OZ base that was a fair distance from their current safehouse. At last, a mission. After being cooped up in this damn safehouse for three whole weeks, they were finally having a mission. 

After notifying the other pilots, they planned their strategy. Quatre and Trowa would invade from the east, and take care of the soldier's barracks and the arsenal. Wufei would attack from the west, and destroy the warehouses. Meanwhile, Heero would sneak into the base, along with Duo, and download the information they needed. Then, they were to plant a few bombs in the base to bring it down before returning to their respective gundams and help the rest to obliterate the entire base. 

With all the commotion Quatre, Trowa and Wufei were providing, Heero and Duo sneaked in effortlessly. Expertly, they downloaded the files they needed with ease. 

DOWNLOAD IN PROGRESS: FIVE MINUTES LEFT 

Duo noted with satisfaction that the mission was going well. But when his eyes stopped at a wall clock, he sighed inwardly. It was already 6pm. That meant that he had only six hours left before the deadline, and with the way things looked, it was impossible to win his bet with Vespera, and of course not the other bet. Looking at Heero, who was glued to the computer screen, he suddenly felt lonely. In just six more hours, he was going to go back to where he belonged. 

Home… it was such an unfamiliar word. 

And he didn't want to go back. Not when going back meant that he would never see Heero and the others again. And they would not remember him ever again. 

It felt as though he was wiped away from existence. 

Gazing at Heero's determined and fearless silhouette, Duo could not help but wonder what it could be of them if he stayed. After all, they had become closer in the last three weeks than they had in the last few months. Perhaps… just perhaps, they might even fall in love. If only there were no deadline! 

But… at least he had gotten one more mission with Heero. After so many weeks of vacation, he had almost forgotten the adrenaline that sped through his veins and the excitement throbbing in his ears whenever he was on a mission. And it meant another chance to make sure that Heero didn't use the self-destruct mechanism on himself. 

Then, a set of words brought him back to the mission. 

DOWNLOAD COMPLETED 

The glaring green words stared back at him almost angrily, and Duo sighed again. It was almost time to go home, a place he didn't want to go. 

Heero spun around in the seat, and stood up. "Let's go!" 

Duo gave a nod, then sprinted off for the exit. Heero quickly took off after him. Strangely, on their way out of the base, they encountered no enemies. It was almost as though the place had been deserted, but the sound of heavy artillery and the occasional shaking of the building told them otherwise. Most of the soldiers were probably out there, busily fighting against their fellow gundam pilots. And they knew, for better or for worse, a good portion of those soldiers would not make it back. 

As they rounded a corner, they came face to face with a stray OZ soldier, who was holding a gun and aiming at them. It didn't seem natural, Duo thought. It was as though the soldier knew they were going to be there and was waiting patiently for them to arrive. Something was off, and he could feel a strange warp of reality. 

And when the gun was fired, Duo could almost see the bullets flying towards him as though they were just floating along. The piercing tracks they left in the air… and the smell of gunpowder… it overwhelmed him. Everything felt unreal. But Duo knew the bullets were definitely real when he saw the blossoming redness on Heero's right thigh and torso. 

"Heero!" he shouted, carefully extracting himself out of Heero's strong arms. Quickly, he spared the soldier a look, and noticed the glaring gun shot on his forehead. Heero was still the perfect shot despite his injury. 

"Heero! Are you okay?" Duo asked anxiously, looking at his wounds. Blood was gushing out like there was no end to it, and there was little time left. If they did not leave the building in five minutes, the bombs Duo had planted earlier were going to go off and kill both of them. 

"I won't make it out of here in five minutes. Duo, leave me here and just go! Hurry!" Heero yelled, pushing Duo away from him. Carefully, he forced himself to lean against the wall but made no effort to stand. 

Heero did not answer his question, but the slight wince on his face was more than enough of an indication of how much pain he was in. Duo reached for Heero's arm, hoping to make Heero grab onto him and so they could make their escape. 

"Are you kidding? I'm not going to leave you here!" 

"You have to go! Or the bombs will go off and both of us will die here! Better one than both! Just go, Duo!" Heero pushed him away again with his free hand. His other hand was already slick with blood gushing out of his wound from his torso, as was the metallic grey of the ground. 

"Oh yes, you're definitely joking now. Duo Maxwell does not leave him friends behind!" Duo tried again, and grabbed onto Heero's shoulders. "Either you cooperate with me and we can leave here as fast as we can, or we can both jolly well just stay here and wait for the bombs to take us." He glared with as much power he could muster up, and met Heero's death glare eye for eye. 

For a moment, they were engaged in a game of will power. Whoever backed down first would lose, possibly not only the game itself but also a large part of themselves. Outside, the sound of explosions and fighting persisted. 

After what felt like an eternity, Heero sighed and looked away. "Baka… why do you do this to yourself?" 

Duo quickly slid his arm under Heero's and wrapped it around his shoulder. As they slowly stood up, he looked over to his friend. "Because you're my best friend and my partner," he answered truthfully. 

Heero gazed into his limpid, liquid violets and saw only his sincerity. Finally, he nodded. "As you are mine." 

"Let's go now, or we won't make it!" 

Duo's words were marked by an especially violent trembling of the building's frame, and they quickly hurried down the corridors. Still, according to their calculations, they were a far distance from the exit. If they were at their best, it would be an easy task of just dashing like hell. But now, with Heero injured and Duo supporting him, it was likely that both of them would not make it out in time. Both of them knew that, but neither was willing to give voice to it. It was, already, the last chance they had of being together. 

Suddenly, they heard another explosion. But this time, the blast came from inside the building. 

Their five minutes were up. 


	8. Part VII

Title: Liberation Part 7 

Author: Sorceress Fantasia 

Pairings: H+2, 3x4, and eventual 1+2 

Warnings: AU, OC, some OOC-ness, some lime in this part 

Archives: Lev's Lair 

Fanfiction.net 

MediaMiner 

Disclaimers: That day I went to the store counter in wherever Santa shops and asked for the GW boys. But when the clerk came back after searching their stocks, she told me that the GW boys had already been bought up. So, sadly, I do not own any of the GW boys or the anime. I do, however, own Vespera. 

"We have to hurry!" Duo yelled, but he was thrown off balance when an exceptionally strong blast hit the building. Groaning, he tried to get up. But when he looked over at Heero, he noticed for the first time just how pale he was becoming and a glance at his wounds just made things seem even bleaker. The blood had not stopped flowing. If any, it was flowing faster and faster. 

"Duo… just go. I can't go on…" Heero whispered, his breath catching as though it was painful to speak louder. 

"Never. Worst comes to worse, I'll just die here with you. It's better than if I were to go on alone." Duo's tone was solemn and soft, but Heero thought it was the loudest thing he had ever heard. 

Another explosion. 

"I've been happy… these last few weeks. You were changing, and I… enjoyed those changes. Finally, I thought, you were becoming more of a civilian and less of a soldier. And that made me happy, because… I knew that you'd be able to live in a peaceful era when it comes, even if I'm not around anymore." His voice choked at the end. 

"I won't let you go." Heero's voice was firm, even more so than his eyes, despite the softness and the paling of his face. 

Another explosion, louder than the one before. 

"I don't want to go." 

"Then don't. Stay with me." 

And then there were no more words, just sounds of explosions. They closed their eyes, holding onto each other as tightly as they could, and prayed for a quick end to their lives. 

Then suddenly, the sounds stopped. 

'Am I dead already? I mean, the explosion's stopped… But, it doesn't hurt… Am I even bleeding?' Duo mused, then felt something was wrong at that last thought. Immediately, he snapped opened his eyes, and promptly gasped. 

Heero had probably felt the same way, and opened his eyes as well. He took in a sharp breath when he took in his surroundings. The angry smoke that was curling around them had stopped in mid-air, and even the particles were hanging up in the air without any sign of falling soon. He glanced at his wounds, and was shocked to see the blood had stopped flowing as well. It was as though time itself… had stopped in its tracks. 

"What's… going on?" 

"I don't know…" Duo replied slowly. "But I think we should get out of here now." 

***** 

When they were out of the base, they noticed that even the fighting outside had stopped. The blazing fire Wufei had set on the warehouses had frozen, and so did the explosion caused by Heavyarm's artillery. And when they tried to activate Wing and Deathscythe, none of them moved. 

"Be careful, Heero!" Duo yelled, waiting at the foot of Wing for Heero to come down. 

Heero dexterously climbed down Wing, and landed on his feet. Once he was on the ground, he reached for Duo almost desperately. 

"What is going on here? How can everything just freeze like that?" he asked, taking Duo's hands in his. It was as though Duo's hand was the only thing that connected him to reality. 

"I don't understand either, but we can't go anywhere now. Let's just… sit here and wait for time to unfreeze itself. I mean, if it can freeze up suddenly, surely it can unfreeze too," Duo replied with a shrug, and just sat down, leaning against a tree. He knew something was strange about this whole thing, but he just couldn't put his finger on it. Vaguely, he remembered having this feeling before, but it was elusive as hell. 

Heero blinked, but shrugged and sat down beside him as well, giving in to Duo's tug on his hand. 

They were silent for a moment, the idea of everything freezing up still running a marathon in their minds. And if they were to look at the battlefield just a little way from where they were, an eerie and illusory sensation would befall upon them. It was strange and out of the world, but it had happen right before they own eyes. That made it quite difficult to not believe it, but it did not make it any easier to swallow. 

Finally, Duo seemed to have noticed their tightly clasped hands. Almost shyly, he wanted to withdraw his hand. But Heero's thumb was caressing his hand, and it felt so good. 

"Heero… what did you mean when you said that you won't ever let me go?" He gasped, not knowing how had that slip out of his mouth. 

The Japanese pilot didn't answer for quite a while. 

"I mean what I said. I… don't want you to leave me. Ever." He looked up into Duo's eyes that were filled with surprise. Clasping his hands tighter, he added, "Stay with me? Even after the war? For as long as possible?" 

Duo could feel the almost passionate vibes Heero was giving him through his eyes, his words. He could hardly believe what Heero was telling him, but he could hear every word, every syllable clearly. He could even hear what Heero was not saying out loud. If the world hadn't stopped around him, it definitely had by now. Nothing was more important than what Heero was telling him. Not even the fact that he had to go soon stopped him. 

"Yes, for as long as possible, I'll stay with you," he whispered, and he felt himself gathered into Heero's strong arms. Duo didn't know how long their time was, but at that moment, he didn't care. Wrapping his arms around his newfound love, he snuggled deeper into his warm embrace. 

"Duo?" 

"What is it?" 

Heero pulled away a little, enough to cup Duo's cheeks in his hands. Looking intensely at Duo's expressive violets, he said, "I love you, Duo. It took me a long time to understand what I felt for you, but I think I've always known it. I just… didn't understand why. Didn't understand how I could fall in love. I've been thinking about it all this while, and… I don't care if I can't understand. All I do care about is that I love and want you." 

Duo remembered Solo's words, that boys don't cry, but he knew at that moment that it wasn't always true. Because at Heero's confession, he felt tears cascading down his cheeks, gathering at his eyes and blurring his vision. 

"I love you too." 

Slowly, they leaned in. It was as though fairies had sprinkled the air with the essence of love, and everything felt like a dream. A mist enshrouded their visions, allowing them to see only the other. When their lips touched for the first time, eyes fluttering close, it felt like they had found that last piece of the puzzle, the last piece of themselves that they had lost a long time ago. Lips tasted like honey, ambrosia even, and neither ever wanted it to stop. Perhaps unconsciously, both had imagined how it would be, but neither could ever imagine the intensity, the passion, and the electrifying bolts of pleasure of that first kiss. 

Finally, they pulled back, arms still around each other. For a while, Heero could not help but lick his lips in eager anticipation of another. And this time, it would not be just a dry peck. 

Duo raised a hand to carefully touch his still tingling lips, a light flush traveling to his cheeks. Shyly, he closed his eyes when he noticed Heero moving in again, his face swimming out of focus. 

Their lips touched for a second time, and the kiss grew bolder. When Duo could not help but moan loudly at the careful ministrations of Heero's hands, he felt Heero's tongue sliding in. If their first kiss was divine, he had no words to describe their second. 

Suddenly, he felt Heero's lips move away, but it was a second later when he felt them gently nibbling his neck. And then Heero was undoing his collar, fumbling with the buttons clumsily. Duo moaned, an erotic sound to Heero's ears, and he doubled his efforts to leave his mark on Duo's otherwise flawless skin. 

In one fluid motion, Heero broke off the elastic band that held Duo's braid together. Quickly, he wove his fingers through the silky locks and unraveled Duo's customary braid. Stopping his kisses, Heero pulled back to look at his handiwork. Duo's hair was shrouding his supple body, almost resembling how Aphrodite must have looked when she first stepped onto the shore after her birth. Duo's violet eyes were glazed over, and his breath came in small, sharp ones. 

Heero smirked. Carefully lowering the braided boy onto the ground, he removed Duo's shirt and renewed his attacks on Duo's already swollen lips. Slowly, he reached for Duo's pants. 

"Stop it already!" 

He jumped. That voice! 

"You!?" 

"My god… if you didn't stop, this whole thing would have to be censored!" 

Heero panted lightly, pulling his still dazed lover close to an upright position. Wrapping an arm around him, Heero asked, "So what is this? Is this… just my dream?" He looked at Duo. "Is he not real?" He was shaken by that thought. "Duo?" 

Duo blinked hard, body protesting against the sudden stop of Heero's wonderful kisses. It took him a while to clear the fog in his mind, and when he did, he gasped. 

"Vespera?" 

True to his word, the girl was standing before them, trying to look away. It was not difficult to tell why she was doing that, for her face was burning up rather nicely. 

"Erm… hi?" she laughed nervously, her hands cupping her cheeks in an attempt to hide the redness there. 

"What're you doing here?" 

"Wait. Duo, you know her?" Heero asked. 

"What you mean I know her? Of course I do! Wait. You know her too?" Duo replied, feeling completely confused already. 

"Erm…" She raised her hand like a well-behaved child in school for the first time. "I know both of you." And then she batted her eyes like a child who had broken her parent's vase and was trying to get out of punishment. 

"What's going on?" 

Duo glared at the girl. "So this time freeze thing… you did it." It was a statement, not a question. 

"Of course I did. This is a dream! I made it up cause you wanted one more mission with Heero… and I thought that maybe this could… you know, prove something between you two… So I kinda made this dream up and handed it to…" she trailed off, biting her lips nervously and looking down. 

"To who?" 

"Sonja. In fact, she just left a minute ago." 

"What the hell!?" Duo yelled. 

"Hey! She seemed like she enjoyed it pretty much… so I'd say you've got a fair chance of winning now," she protested. 

Heero glared at both of them. "Can someone tell me what is going on? Vespera, I thought you said you were my invisible friend?" 

"What?" Duo exclaimed, looking at his lover as though he were crazy. 

"Well… it's the only way I could think of that would make you trust me somewhat… It's not like I could go barging into you dream and tell you, 'Hey, I'm someone sent from up above to help you snag Duo!'" 

"And what about the rest? Who's Sonja? And how can you just… make up a dream? Who are you? Why do you look like a splitting image of Duo?" 

"Sonja is… it's kinda hard to explain that one. I think we should start from the beginning, and this would only be fair to you if you and Duo really hook up…" she said, and waved her hand. Immediately, the scene around them shifted and they were back in the luxurious living room of the Winner mansion. "I figured you'd be more comfortable here? Because what we're gonna say is going to completely change your world." She threw herself into one the large sofa seats that looked like it was going to swallow her up. Duo sat down opposite of her, and pulled his lover down with him. 

Heero kept quiet, unsure of what to say. It felt like the world was going to crumble around him if he were to say something wrong, or that he would wake up suddenly to find that everything was just a screwed up dream and Duo was out of his reach. 

Duo pulled away from him, and stared at him solemnly. "I guess I'll start. Heero, I'm going to tell you how I came to become Duo Maxwell. Listen to me. You… have to believe me. I know it's going to be hard to, but…" He sighed. 

Heero, understanding the importance and seriousness of the issue, nodded grimly. 

Taking a deep breath, Duo started, "Man has always believed in the existence of another world: the world of gods, a race of extraordinary people who ruled over him. Man believes in it, but he has never been able to find the place or even prove its existence. But what if I were to tell you that such a place does exist?" He paused momentarily, waiting for Heero's response. 

"Duo…?" Heero frowned at the tone of his lover. 

"The place is called Utopia. Man usually gave it a different name, depending on their religion. But it is not what man has always thought it to be. The people there… live like humans do. They love, they hate, they cry, they laugh… The emotions are the same, as are the actions taken. The only difference is that they had special powers, and for that reason, man called them gods and goddesses. 

"Then, around a century ago, a pair of twins were born into that world. A boy and a girl. The boy was named Eden, after God's garden, and the girl Vespera, after the evening star." 

"Vespera?" Heero echoed. 

She nodded. "Right, it's me." 

"You're a goddess?" 

"If that's what you want to call me. To be more precise, I'm an Utopian." With a thoughtful look at Duo, she continued, "My brother and I… We were always together. Whatever we did or wherever we went, we were almost inseparable. It was like… we were each other's shadow. We loved each other… a lot. Even when time had passed and we had both grew up, our relation remained the same.  


"Then… something happened. We had just turned twenty that year, and our parents thought that it was the perfect time for our respective marriages. It wasn't long before they betrothed us both to another pair of siblings. We didn't even know who they knew, or how they looked like. Eden and I… didn't want to be tied down, so soon. We had promised each other, when were younger, that we would travel the world together, and fall in love with someone we'd meet on our travels. We wanted to marry someone we loved, not someone our parents thought was appropriate," she spat, face frowning in disgust. "We fought and argued with our parents for a very long time over that…" 

"It was long time before they came to a compromise, and the Utopian council had to step in and settle our dispute because it had snowballed and a lot of people became involved. Those who were victims of unhappy, arranged marriages stood behind us, as well as those who had already been betrothed to someone they didn't know. But the elders sided with our parents, believing that parents had the last word in their children's marriages," Duo explained. 

"So Eden and I had to fulfill a task for the council if we wanted to get out of our respective arranged marriages," Vespera added. 

Duo nodded. "The task was a difficult one. Eden was to be reincarnated into the human world, and search for his one true love within sixteen years. I know what you're thinking, Heero. Sixteen years is hardly enough, especially when you're too young to fall in love for more than half of that time span. But the council is made up of the older ones, and like I said, they sided with our parents. If it weren't for the fact that there was a lot of support for Eden and Vespera, the council would never even let the compromise happen," he said angrily. 

"Anyway, Eden had to find someone he loved deeply and loved him in return in that sixteen years. If he succeeded, both Eden and Vespera would be set free: meaning that they will be able to choose their own life partners and even choose to leave Utopia to go on their travels. But if Eden failed, he would be compelled to return to Utopia and both he and his twin would have to marry whomever their parents wanted them to marry." 

Vespera nodded, already sulking at that memory. "So, Eden reincarnated into your world. For the first seven years, he had to get use to a human body. It wasn't easy right from the start. There were so many things he could no longer do with the weak body. And the fact that his powers were stripped away from him made the task even harder. He was so fragile and vulnerable, that there were several occasions where he almost died. In the end, he spent those seven years with me on Earth and learned all the methods of survival. In the meantime, I took care of him as his guardian. We lived in a small cottage in America, in the countryside. However, I was soon forced to leave by the council. They said it wasn't fair, as I had little to do with the deal itself. 'Little to do with the deal' like hell!" she cursed. "It had everything to do with me, and if Eden hadn't insisted that I be left out of it, I would be down here with him right now!" 

She blew her bangs. "Before I left, I sent Eden to L2, where I thought would be a good place to start. And during the next few years, I could only watch him from my world and help him in some small things. You know the plague in L2 around eight or nine years ago? I couldn't stop the virus from spreading since the fates had dictated it, but I was able to save Eden. 

"And by that time, Eden had acquired a new name: Duo." 

By this time, Heero felt his eyes widen. Turning to his lover, he stared. "Duo? You're a god? Too?" 

He shook his head. "I was. Not anymore." 

Vespera smiled wistfully. "He is Shinigami, the god of death." 

"And if Duo is Eden, doesn't that make him…" Heero turned to Vespera. 

She nodded. "My brother. Twin brother, in fact," she said with a slight laugh. 

"Now, I'll tell you guys what's happened these couple of weeks since I came down to the human world. Actually, as you know, I was sent down to remind you of the deadline, Duo. But I just stayed on and played around a little, which is not against the rules. After all, they never said I couldn't make dreams." She winked playfully. "Like I've mentioned earlier, I've been watching over Duo ever since he first arrived. And throughout the years, I was always on the lookout for the perfect partner for him. Within the span of sixteen years, I found three possible candidates. The first one was a boy called Solo. However, the plague in L2 claimed his life before anything could happen. The other one was Hirde. It was easy to tell that she loved Duo. When Duo was around her, she glowed with happiness and was willing to lay her life down for him. However, the problem lay with Duo this time. He didn't love her as a woman, but instead as a sister. And the last one…" She gazed at the two in front of her with a tiny smile. "…is you, Heero." 

"Actually, I thought that Wufei would be a more appropriate choice initially. I mean… you didn't give me a very good first impression, Heero. And I thought that you were far too callous for someone as lighthearted as my brother. But then one day, when I was in his room, just watching over him… you snuck in. But you didn't see me, of course." She smiled wickedly. 

Heero blushed, recalling what he had almost done to Duo that night. 

"So I started to rethink a lot of things, and I came to the conclusion that Duo wasn't attracted to Wufei, and that he had this… little thing for you instead. I knew that if you two had time, it was quite possible that you'd actually get together by yourself. But well… there was this little stupid, idiotic thing called a deadline, and it was coming up pretty soon, so I decided to interfere. I entered your dreams, Heero, and told you that I was a figment of your imagination. From there, I was able to show you the dreams you didn't want to see." 

"Wait," Heero interrupted. "Didn't want to see? But I thought that dreams are a manifestation of your innermost desires." 

She shook her head. "There are quite a number of types of dreams, actually. The ones I made you see were fragments of the destroyed future. Life has many routes and possibilities, and every decision one makes will destroy the other future that could have been. In other words, a lot of futures are actually destroyed before they can even exist. As the goddess of dreams, I'm able to make those destroyed future into nightmares." 

"So… what I saw… all those images of Duo and Hirde together… cannot happen?" 

"Well, when you decided that you wanted Duo for yourself, that future was destroyed and its existence denied. So no… it can't happen anymore," she replied with a smile. 

Heero smiled back, and pulled his lover to him tightly, loving the feel of that pale skin against his body. 

"And the ones I've been having?" Duo asked. 

"Those are real. It's your innermost desires, plus a pinch of your memories." 

"And the ones Heero saw are not real." 

"I'm quite the opposite from you in this aspect, Duo. I do know what is privacy! So I didn't show Heero your dates with Hirde." 

"This is about the diary thing again, isn't it? Man, after all these years, I would have thought you had gotten over it!" 

"That's what you think," she said in a singsong manner. "Anyway, through Heero's dreams, I made him understand that he loved and wanted you. On the other hand, I also entered Hirde's dreams." 

Duo gasped. "So that means…" 

She shook her head. "I didn't tell her to give you up. I just talked to her, and made her reflect on her time with you. I think she knew that you two weren't meant to be. So she was willing to let you go when you told her that. She was… prepared for it. 

"But by that time, I thought we had failed in our task, Duo. I mean, there was only so few days left, and Heero was still in the denial stages sometimes… So I wanted to give you one last chance to really be with him." 

"The mission?" 

"Right. I made it up, and for the sake of realism, I put quite a bit of the danger elements in. So when the base started to explode, I just stopped the whole dream, though I didn't pull you two out of it. But well, when you two thought it was going to explode, your feelings just… came out. And I just decided to ditch everything in. I called the council, and told them that this would be the test of your feelings, your love for one another. Sonja believed me, and came down to take a peek. Well, I didn't think you two would get… so… involved suddenly." 

The two blushed. 

"But well, Sonja was quite happy with the results. So she's gone back to tell the rest of the council. But the test is not over yet. Unless Sonja can convince them, it won't be over. I'll be going back now, to help Sonja out as much as I can. Technically, you still have one more day in the human world, Duo. So spend it well with Heero," she said, and the scene around them melted away.


	9. Part VIII

Title: Liberation Part 8 

Author: Sorceress Fantasia 

Pairings: H+2, 3x4, and eventual 1+2 

Warnings: AU, OC, some OOC-ness 

Archives: Lev's Lair 

Fanfiction.net 

MediaMiner 

Disclaimers: That day I went to the store counter in wherever Santa shops and asked for the GW boys. But when the clerk came back after searching their stocks, she told me that the GW boys had already been bought up. So, sadly, I do not own any of the GW boys or the anime. I do, however, own Vespera and the rest of the Utopians mentioned. 

Heero's eyes flew open, but they were quickly forced shut by the glare of the morning beams, peeking in through the blinds. Groaning, he rolled away and opened his eyes again. He was in his room, and lying on his bed in a sweaty pile. Vaguely, he wondered just what had he been doing. Then suddenly, everything came flooding into his mind. He had a dream… or perhaps it was more than just a dream. He was… pinning Duo to the ground, and… kissing him passionately, almost as though he would die without him. He bolted up in bed. 

"Duo…" he breathed. Immediately, he dashed out of his room and into Duo's. Almost without thought, he jumped into Duo's bed and roused him from sleep. 

"Duo! Wake up!" 

"I'm awake! I'm awake! Stop shaking me!" Duo shouted, feeling slightly disorientated. "Heero? You scared me…" 

"Duo… I…" Heero wanted to kiss his lover again, but felt unsure of himself suddenly. What if last night had been nothing but an illusion? A dream? His heart went cold at that thought, and he quickly scrambled out of Duo's bed, unwilling to torture himself any further by looking at the one he loved. Already, he was feeling hard at the thought of a sleep mused and almost naked Duo in bed beside him. 

But Duo didn't seem to have the same reservations. "What's wrong, Heero? Don't want me anymore?" he teased, guessing what was going through Heero's mind. 

"No! I want you more than you'll ever imagine!" Heero burst out, turning back to him. 

Then before he could run away, Duo grabbed onto him. "That's good. Kiss me?" 

Heero didn't need any invitation. Softly, he gathered Duo into his arms and pressed their lips together for the first time in the real world. It was just as wild as it had been in their dreams, or perhaps even more so. The bed probably had something to do with that. When they finally pulled away, Duo was already lying under Heero on the bed, his lips swollen and red. Heero was towering over him, panting and gazing deeply into his eyes. It was as though he would never get enough of those lips, never see enough of those eyes. 

"Duo… last night?" 

Duo shook his head, smiling softly. "Last night was real. Everything we said last night is real. I love you, Heero Yuy." 

The Japanese pilot's eyes widen like the words had finally sunk in, and he grinned. "I love you too, Duo Maxwell, and I'll never let you go. Never. Even if I have to go against those old folks inside the Utopian council." 

"You're not afraid? They're gods, you know?" 

"You're a god too, and I'm not afraid of you." 

Duo smiled again. "Let's get up. Vespera is right; I want to spend the rest of today with you. Just with you." 

Heero rolled off his lover. "Let's get dressed up then. We'll spend today the way we'll spend the rest of our days together. Today is just the beginning of our lives together." 

***** 

Duo snuggled up closer, and felt Heero's arm tighten around him. He purred contentedly, leaning his head on his lover's broad shoulders. The cooling sea breeze blew across their faces, and the sound of the lapping waves lulled them to a world where only their love existed. Above them, sea birds cried their mating calls. 

"Duo, are you bored? We've been sitting at the beach since lunch. I mean, you're always so active," Heero asked, loving the feel of Duo against him. It felt so good he could hardly believe his luck. It was already evening, and still, to a certain degree, he thought he was dreaming. 

"No, not at all. Vespera is right about this." 

"About what?" 

Duo offered him a smile. "She said that couples have a lot to do together. Like… basking in each other's presence. You just enjoy being with that person you love, even if you aren't doing much. It's the feelings, the passion that you get. You feel like you're on the top of the world just being with him. Not what you are doing. I get her point now. I don't feel like ever going back now. Just wanna be with you always. Right here." 

Heero stroked his back, and pulled him closer. "You'll always be here with me. And I will hold only you in my arms with love." 

"Hmm." 

They watched as the sun sink down under the horizon. Faintly, golden hues touched the violet skies, sending streaks of deep scarlet and ice blue into the heavens. 

***** 

11. 55 P.M. 

Duo stared at his watch worriedly. 'Could this be my last five minutes here?' he wondered. 

Heero seemed to have sensed his line of thoughts and placed an assuring hand on his shoulders. Gently, he pressed his lips against Duo's forehead and held him tighter against himself. If there weren't going to have their forever, he was going to memorize how every inch of his lover's body felt, how every bit of his warmth could seep into his heart and how every kiss they shared could shake him to the depths of his soul. 

12.00 A.M. 

"It's time," Duo whispered, shuddering in the cold winds. Heero pulled him in and tried to calm him down. They looked around for any trace of someone approaching them. 

"Hey." 

They jumped. 

"Vespera? It's you? You're giving us the verdict?" 

She nodded grimly. "I just got it earlier," she said softly, voice almost drowned out by the crash of waves on the shore. "…Sonja… tried her best. We can't ask for anymore than that." 

Duo and Heero felt their hearts stop. Were the gods so cruel they would not give them a chance? Would not even see their love for each other? Duo bowed his head, holding onto Heero and head buried into his chest. 

"Hey… I've not finished," she whined, rolling her eyes. 

They looked at her attentively again, holding their breaths. 

"You mean…?" 

Vespera flashed them a smile. "Sonja was so convincing you wouldn't believe it. She practically talked everyone on the council down. That and Yetel was pretty adamant about helping you two too. And then Yetel got to Petra, and well…" she shrugged. 

"We… won?" 

"Well…" she paused, "You bet! Looks like the council had quite a few unhappy victims of arranged marriages we didn't know about." She grinned. 

"Oh my god… it's finally over… and we won! And we won!" Duo laughed, though his eyes were telling another story with the tears that were gathering. Heero tightened his embrace, and it was clear that he was just as shaken by the news. 

Vespera knelt down, joining in the hug. She too, had been freed from a nightmare that had plagued her for years, and her heart was suddenly a lot lighter. For a while, the three of them just reveled in the idea of freedom and liberation. 

Finally, she broke the almost sad atmosphere with a loud chuckle. "Oh god! I can't believe this is over. But well… our parents aren't too happy." 

"They aren't happy with me?" Heero asked. 

"No, they're just not happy with me and Duo are free of them now." She made a face at that. "I don't care about that now though. But I do remember Duo losing a bet to me…" 

"You mean that bet about me and Hirde? And you want me to do it now?" 

"Well, why not?" She shrugged. "It's not much." 

"Name it then." Duo sounded suspicious. 

"I want you to promise me that you'll treasure the happiness you've found, and be happy with Heero. That's all I ask for. Oh, wait. I nearly forgot. I also want you to promise me that I can come visit you anytime I want." She winked. 

Duo laughed, though his laughter was choked. "I promise. You will always have a place in my life." 

"As well as mine," Heero added. He too, had been touched by Vespera's words. 

"Thank you, you two. Be happy. Both of you deserve it." 

"Are you leaving? Where will you go?" Duo asked, noting the departing tone in his sister's voice. "Back to Utopia?" 

She gave him a look. "Are you kidding? Why should I go back there when I want to roam the world? You know, you promised to bring me on an adventure… but it looks like I'm gonna have to go on it on my own, since you've already snagged such a handsome hubby. I'll have to work harder on that one," she laughed. "But well, it's not like it's forever. I've already extracted a promise from the both of you to let me visit whenever I can. Besides, I can always come into your dreams. Or maybe I can send something naughty?" 

"Vespera!" 

"Hey, don't take me so seriously!" 

"Come back often, Vespera. We'll miss you," Heero said. 

"Don't worry, I will. And well… I'm handing my brother over to you, Heero Yuy! If, I hope that's a big one, if by any chance I find out that you're bullying him, I swear I will come back and send you a whole ton of nightmares. By the end of it, you won't be able to tell which way is up! But really, I think there's a bigger possibility that Duo will bully you instead. Oh well." 

Duo grinned. 

Vespera leaned in closer to Heero and gave him a hug. "You're a nice person. I know that Duo will be very happy with you. I have no worries about that." 

"Thank you, Vespera, for giving Duo to me." Heero's voice was full of gratitude. 

She sniggered, then whispered, "I hid a tube of lubricant in Duo's drawer, the one beside his bed. He doesn't know anything about it. It's my wedding gift to you two, for now." 

Giggling at the Japanese pilot who was blushing furiously, she pulled away. "Promise me you two will send a wedding invitation to me when you two get hitched, ok?" 

Duo nodded almost violently. "Of course! You're my only sister! Of course we'll invite you!" 

She smiled, standing up. With a wink and a wave of her hand, she said, "Well then, bye bye!" And then she turned to walk away. Within a couple of seconds, she was gone. 

Duo and Heero looked at her retreating back until she had completely disappeared. 

"She's really gone." 

"Aa. But she'll be back." 

Duo nodded. "Yeah, she'll be back before we know it. Heero?" 

"Yes, love?" 

"Is this happily ever after for us?" 

"No, it's not," Heero answered, tightening his embrace. His feelings were flowing out effortlessly, as though the floodgates that blocked his heart had just broke down. "True love doesn't have a ending at all." 

Duo smiled, leaning in to kiss his lover again. As they kissed, Duo knew the truth of Heero's words. They would be together even after death, for their love was eternal. 

_Never ending story…_


	10. Epilogue

Title: Liberation Epilogue 

Author: Sorceress Fantasia 

Pairings: H+2, 3x4, and eventual 1x2 

Warnings: AU, OC, some OOC-ness 

Archives: Lev's Lair 

Fanfiction.net 

MediaMiner 

Disclaimers: That day I went to the store counter in wherever Santa shops and asked for the GW boys. But when the clerk came back after searching their stocks, she told me that the GW boys had already been bought up. So, sadly, I do not own any of the GW boys or the anime. I do, however, own Vespera. 

Duo woke up, his eyes fluttering open slowly. For a moment, he wondered just where was he and why was he feeling so warm. Then he felt the steady rise and fall of Heero's chest under his head, and he smiled. It had already been three magical months since they got together, and still he was unused to the pampering Heero gave him. By now, their fellow pilots had already gotten used to the idea of them as a couple and had no qualms about telling them that. In fact, when Quatre first found out, he congratulated them so much Duo almost regretted slightly that they had told him at all. 

Looking up, Duo saw that Heero was still asleep. Even so, his hands were wrapped possessively around him. Smiling, Duo recalled last night's loving. It was always so tender, so sweet and wonderful. Just like their first time. 

Duo peered at the tube of lubricant on the little table beside his bed. It was almost empty, their second in a month. 'I can't believe we've used so much already… But it just feels so right…' he mused, blushing when he recalled just how 'right' it felt when Heero pinned him to his bed and had his wicked way with him. No matter how many times they did it, they still couldn't have enough of one another. 

Suddenly, his thoughts returned to the one person to whom he owed his current happiness. 'Vespera. Where are you now?' 

"Thinking about Ves?" 

Duo looked up to his koi. "Did I wake you up?" 

"No. I woke up myself," Heero replied. "Thinking of Ves?" 

The American pilot sighed. "I just can't believe that it's already been three months since she left. I can't bear the thought of her wandering alone. I did promise to go with her, you know?" 

Heero pressed a light kiss to his forehead. "Don't worry about her. Didn't she say that she was going to go look for a lover too? You'd only get in the way of that. Besides, she's a goddess; she'll be able to take care of herself." 

"I hope so…" Then his expression turned playful. "I think we should get ourselves ready for breakfast. It's already nine." He pointed to the clock. "If we don't get to the kitchen soon, Quatre will be barging in here to look for us." 

Heero laughed, remembering the last time that happened. Quatre had flushed a shade of red from head to toe, and remained so whenever he saw either of them for the rest of the day. 

***** 

When they reached the kitchen, they noticed that Quatre and Trowa were already there. 

"Morning, Duo! Morning to you too, Heero," Quatre chirped. 

Trowa greeted them as well. "Morning, you two." 

Duo replied gleefully, "Morning, lovebirds!" Then he slid into a comfortable seat beside Heero. 

Trowa and Quatre just gave each other a loving look. 

Duo grinned, almost envious of the relationship his two friends shared. But he felt that envy dissipate when Heero grabbed his waist possessively, and he remembered that had had a loving relationship with his lover too. Actually, he hadn't expected Heero to be open about their relationship initially, given Heero's track records of being secretive, but whatever Vespera had said to him seemed to have changed him a great deal. 

"Where's Wufei?" he asked suddenly, finally noticing the Chinese boy's absence. 

"He's on a mission, remember? He just emailed us last night saying that he will be returning today," Quatre answered, sipping at his earl grey tea. 

"Oh yeah… Can't believe I forgot about that," Duo said. But it was difficult to remember anything when Heero was kissing him deeply. 

Just then, a familiar voice rang out as the door flew open. "I'm back!" Wufei called out. 

"Hey, you're back! Perfect timing too." Duo commented, among the greetings of the other pilots. Then his eyes nearly popped out when he saw the girl trailing behind their Chinese friend. He quickly turned to look at his lover, but when he saw his wide eyes, he knew that he wasn't dreaming. 

"I'll introduce all of you to Vespera. She's an assistant of Doctor G, but due to some special circumstances, she's going to stay with us for a while before I send her back," Wufei said. "Vespera, that blonde is Quatre and the one beside him is Trowa. The one with the braid and gaping mouth is Duo, and the last one is Heero." 

She nodded. "I know that. Doctor G has showed me their photos before." Then she turned to the rest of them. "Hi, I'm Vespera, but you can call me Ves or Vessie. Like Wufei said, I'm Doctor G's assistant, but he's sent me here to help." 

"If that's what the Doctors say…" Quatre smiled, albeit having a strange feeling about the whole thing. "Welcome." 

Trowa nodded. 

"Nice to meet you too," she replied with a smile. 

***** 

Once breakfast was over, and everyone had retreated to their own respective rooms, Duo promptly dragged his sister into his room. Heero just followed quietly behind them. 

Closing the door, Duo stared at her. "Care to explain what's going on now? I thought you said you were going to roam the world and find yourself a hubby like me?" 

She shrugged. "I did." 

"So why are you here? And as G's assistant?" 

"Well, I was wandering around, and then I met Wufei in China. I thought he was pretty cute, so I followed him. Of course, I just made up this little spell so everyone will think that I *am* G's assistant," she replied. "I'll admit that I'm not good enough to help you guys by piloting a gundam, but I do pretty well for hand to hand combat. I just thought that this would be a good opportunity to be around you guys for a while. It's not like I can just come into your current safehouse and tell the other pilots that I'm here to visit my brother and his lover." 

Duo narrowed his eyes. "Anything else? Any other reason?" 

"Well…" She sniggered, her expression a carbon image of Duo when he was full out in 'angelic mode'. "I did say that Wufei is pretty cute… And since you don't want him, I thought I'd give him a chance." 

Duo blinked. "Are you kidding?" 

"I run, I hide, but I never lie," she replied laughingly. "In fact, I think I'll go bother him a little now." And then she was out of the room. 

"What do you think? Think it'll work?" Duo turned to his lover, his voice a mixture of amusement and worry. 

"Maybe?" Heero offered uncertainly. 

"I think I'll go check up on them…" The braided boy ran out of the room as well. 

Heero looked at the door for a moment, unsure of what to do. After all, he was worried about Vespera too, having thought of the girl as a good friend and a sister. But he knew Wufei was definitely trustworthy, if he ever decided that he was interested in her. Still, Duo, being the fussing elder brother that he was, would probably not see that. Heero could already imagine the ruckus the twins were creating. 

Then he smiled, shaking his head, and walked out of his room. He had better go rescue Wufei. 

~ Owari ~ 

Sorceress Fantasia @ July 2000 

Last revised 27th November 2003 


End file.
